Trials of a Pokemon Trainer
by LionsMane10
Summary: Extension to my other story: Variations. Leo starts finding out what life's like while acting as a trainer. The short of it is, not what it's like for everyone else. Being what he is, he probably should have expected it...
1. Chapter 1: Wanted

**Trials of a Pokémon Trainer**

_**Author's note:**__ This story fills in part of the one-year gap between Chapter 19 and the Epilogue of my other story, "Variations". As such, this story also assumes you have read it, since I make a lot of references to events that happened in it. If you haven't read it yet, you might want to do so now before reading this one, otherwise you'll probably end up scratching your head a bit. Of course as the author, I _would_ recommended reading my other stories… _

_Comments and reviews are most definitely welcomed!_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Wanted**

"Huh? What the heck are…"

Leo barely resisted smiling. With Blaze, he watched the teenage kid stare before whipping out a Pokédex and scanning them, the computerized voice shortly providing spoken information on swamperts and infernapes.

Being now late summer, it was a nice, warm, clear-sky morning at the nearest park in Jade River City. A slight breeze was just moving a few hairs of Blaze's red and yellow mane while providing just a bit of cooling. He hoped it picked up a little, since today looked like it was going to be hot again.

While waiting for the kid to finish getting his information, he started fingering the two Pokéballs held in the clips of his belt somewhat impatiently. Should he release Wartortle and Pikachu now and let them enjoy the breeze also? Being a Pokémon himself, he certainly sympathized with others about being held inside a small ball after being dimensionally "shrunk" (or as some explained it, converted to energy when passing into a micro dimension). Then again, Wartortle and Pikachu really didn't seem to mind and keeping them as a surprise for the battle, was a sound tactic from what he'd observed.

Truly, they were friends. Not only had Chris been willing to "lend" them, but Wartortle and Pikachu were also willing to take instructions from him since he was just starting out.

Well, not really "just". Years ago in his human days, he was a trainer for a few years. Too bad he couldn't remember much about it.

"Think he'll take us on?" Blaze finally whispered as the brown-haired kid kept looking between his Pokédex and the two of them several times, seemingly perplexed, before craning his neck around in an obvious search of the area. His partner had since folded his arms across his white-haired chest, glaring at the human menacingly with a lowered brow in his best attempt of issuing a challenge with only his expression.

Shrugging, "One way to find out."

But the kid finally decided to speak: "So you two Pokémon, uh, where's your trainer? I assume you're here for a battle, seeing this is one of the practice fields."

"Finally he gets it," Blaze remarked.

Leo nodded, referring to the Pokéballs on his belt. So the kid was definitely here for a battle, if the several pokéballs on his own belt weren't enough of an indication. And seeing as this was the first one to approach them after they waited for at least a half hour on the field, he wasn't about to let this one get away.

The kid, though, continued his perplexed expression in cocking his head on his rather lengthy neck. "But what's with those Pokéballs? Is your trainer having you hold them while he or she is in the bathroom or something?"

He shook his head as did Blaze, again indicating the two Pokéballs, even unclipping one of them in clear intention to use it.

"You can't be wild Pokémon," the kid replied in almost a mumble, still with his brow furrowed. "Two highly evolved and powerful guys like you surely have a trainer, but if he isn't going to show up, then…" Shrugging, the teenager turned and started walking away across the short-grass field.

When he first proposed the idea to Chris of "borrowing" his Pokémon and coming to the park to get started in his own trainer career, he had hopes of getting by without needing to speak, at least in human speech. Apparently that was naive. If he was going to act as a trainer, he was going to have to speak to humans…and obviously sooner rather than later. "I am a trainer."

The boy froze before whipping around, sending his medium-length brown hair flying. After a few seconds of staring around the otherwise empty field: "What?"

"I said, I am a trainer! And yes, I'm also a Pokémon. Is that a problem?" Leo made sure to speak slowly enough so there wouldn't be any question that it was he who was doing it.

Instead of acting surprised, the boy started laughing, even bending over slightly to slap his knee-caps. "Oh, I get it! This is one of those practical jokes; I'm on TV! Of course you're in _costumes_ and there's a hidden camera somewhere. Cool! Where is it?" He started looking around again.

"You might have to prove it," Blaze suggested, his mane puffing slightly.

Leo had to agree with his partner. It only took a second to fill his mouth with water and one more to release a weak water pulse, effectively soaking the boy without too much force.

"That should do it," the infernape commented with a flick of his red tail and a grin that just showed his teeth.

The teenager stood stock still for several moments as the water at first poured off him, then quickly diminishing to trickles and finally drips. After: "Pokémon…can't…talk…"

"Obviously I can," Leo countered. "Now, are we going to battle?"

"Oh…_wait_ a second!"

He flinched as the kid moved forward, placing both his hands on his head fins…before jerking and screaming on them being grasped hard and yanked sideways!

Blaze was at once was huffing up in prep for a flame thrower…

"Wow, you're _real_!" the kid exclaimed, quickly backing up. "That's no costume and there's no speakers or radio on you either!"

He felt only slightly glad that the kid believed him, while gingerly touching his suddenly throbbing head fins. If the rest of the day was going to go like this…

* * *

"How'd the practice go today?" Chris asked almost excitedly. "Did anyone try to capture you two?"

Leo waited for Blaze to wearily stumble into the living room that evening and flop down on the couch before doing likewise on the carpeted floor in front of it. Nearly as an afterthought, he released Wartortle and Pikachu to the spot in front of the patio doors, both of them collapsing to the floor immediately in their own exhaustion.

"Yikes!" the sole human in the room exclaimed, hurrying over to the released Pokémon. "What happened?" Pikachu responded with a sharp gasp as he picked him up, obviously quite sore from the multitude of hits he endured during the day.

"Apparently after our first battle, others noticed us and decided a Pokémon as a trainer was someone who _had_ to be battled," Leo answered. "There was even a line." Moving only his eyes, he watched Chris set Pikachu down and hurry out of the room, then return a moment later after opening some cabinet. "Hold still," the young man said to the small yellow electric type and quickly spray something on him before stuffing a small fruit-like thing in his mouth. After doing the same to Wartortle, he approached him and Blaze. "What is that?"

"Some new skin tonic and energy vitamins for Pokémon to help with recovery. Picked them up on the way home today. Should help you guys feel a little better."

As the blonde-haired young man pulled the handle on the bottle, Leo felt a fine, cooling spray cover him from foot to head, the liquid stinging a little on his head fins and making him gasp.

"Wow, those fins of yours look sore…" Chris commented before holding down one of the vitamins. "Hey, you didn't do any battling _yourself_, did you?"

"Depends on how you define 'battling'," Leo replied with a sigh after swallowing the vitamin, discovering it to be as soft and tasty as fruit.

"How _are_ your fins doing?" Blaze asked, staring down from the couch with his own chin firmly planted into the cushions. In disarray, his long red and yellow mane was hanging down past his shoulder, nearly touching the floor along with his left arm and hand.

"They're still attached?" he replied, intending humor, though it didn't quite come out that way. Obviously they were still attached; the painful throbbing was proof of that.

"Tell me you didn't…" Chris went on.

"Of course I followed the rules," he snapped, having already endured Chris's numerous reminders about trainers barred from battling themselves over the last several days. "Too many humans wanted proof I wasn't a human in a costume. I didn't know fin-pulling was such a popular form of that." Damned kid and his 'helpful' suggestion to others that pulling on his fins would prove he really was a Pokémon. If he ever saw him again, he'd throttle him!

"That rule sucks," Blaze added in Poké speech as Chris grimaced, using one of the 'new' words they'd both picked up since arriving on Earth a couple months ago. After he got his own spray and vitamin treatment: "Next time they try that, I would just hit them. Oh!" His eyelids suddenly appeared heavy as Chris started massaging his shoulders.

"I'm planning on it," Leo returned after a moment, wondering if he might also get a quick massage. Unfortunately, Chris put the bottle away immediately after in clear indication he was done treating them.

"So how many trainers did you beat?" asking as he came back in with a bag of what looked like Pokéfood. As a telling sign of how exhausted everyone was, none of them made any motions to get up.

"Lost count of how many we battled. Won a few…"

"…mostly lost," Wartortle piped in. "Please, _don't_ put me in against any grass types again, huh?"

Sighing, "Sorry, but Blaze and Pikachu were still wiped from the last..."

"Or me against a nidorina!" Pikachu moaned in his higher-pitched voice.

"What else was I _supposed_ to do?"

"Don't accept the battle?" the electric-type suggested, slowly rolling himself onto his back with arms spread wide as he closed his eyes. "I am so bruised…"

"Yeah," Wartortle added. "I hurt from my tail all the way to the tips of my head hairs! That ivysaur _clobbered_ me!" In an obviously fake tone: "I'm going to be scarred for life…"

Blaze snorted, "You saw that group of humans. They weren't about to let us leave without a fight! Leo had to fight as it was to get us out of there when we did!"

"And we were lucky to get out before the news crews showed up," Leo replied in human speech for Chris's benefit.

"News crews?" Chris repeated with alarm, suddenly sitting up. "Oh…I never thought of that before letting you guys go. Of course, a talking Pokémon acting as a trainer…yeah, I guess that would be a news story…a big one!" At his grin died, he started sniffing. "You know, not to embarrass you guys or anything, but you really need some showers."

"Food first, then a shower," Wartortle declared as he hauled himself up, holding his shell where his stomach was. With the others, Leo did the same, discovering a bit more strength returned than he would have thought. Perhaps that spray and vitamin really were doing something…

Certainly it stimulated the appetite.

But while sharing the barely large-enough shower with Wartortle, the blue turtle-like Pokémon came up with a suggestion he'd given more than a little thought to himself. After vacating the bathroom afterward for Blaze and Pikachu, he approached Chris: "I need to find some more Pokémon for my team."

The human turned away from the television to stare a good moment. "I was wondering when you would want some of your own. Unfortunately, I can only spare the weekends now to go with you to…"

"Blaze and I can travel on our own," he interrupted. Of course, he realized being a Pokémon meant any danger he and Blaze would face wouldn't be from other Pokémon, but from humans. Still, he was sure his ability to talk could keep them out of any trouble.

Chris's expression didn't seem to convey the same confidence. "Um…I'd be really concerned about someone trying to capture you."

"Pokéballs don't work on me, remember?" Leo reminded, almost smiling at his 'immunity'. Of course, he knew enough to not let that make him over confident.

"Yeah, but what about Blaze?"

"I'll protect him."

"Not to sound down on you or anything, but _I_ was able to capture the two of you without much difficulty."

He had a point. A fairly good one, as a matter of fact. "Well, we're stronger now, and if I'm going to be a trainer, we'll need to learn how to survive on this world on our own, right?"

The blonde-haired trainer opened his mouth, then promptly shut it again. "Well…I guess you're right. You know, I would say take Wartortle and Pikachu with you, but I assume you're going to be gone for a while? I'm going to need them myself for this weekend's practice."

Leo shrugged. Truly, he didn't know how long he would be gone. "Maybe a week or two, just long enough to recruit a few other Pokémon. I know you're counting on having Blaze with you for the Tournaments next year and so want to practice with him too."

* * *

"I thought for sure they were going to try something," Blaze commented wearily as they stood behind large bushes that were still wet with morning dew, waiting for the two humans who were following them to come around the bend.

Ever since they got on the subway, they garnered more attention than they wanted. Was two fully-evolved Pokémon riding the subway by themselves really that unusual in a world filled with Pokémon? And on a Saturday, no less. But it was just as Chris warned would probably happen. "Maybe we're just being paranoid," Leo replied, rubbing his blue hand over some of the leaves for the refreshing, cool moisture. Still, two young adult humans riding to the very last stop, then seemingly following them for a ways past the last buildings on the hiking path… Either they got tired of following for such a distance, or they really had business in the area.

"Two humans with Pokéballs?" the infernape asked suspiciously. "Remember when Chris tried to capture us?"

"_Tried?_" He gave Blaze a light slap on his back when he didn't laugh. More soberly: "He did tell us we could run into others who'll try and capture us. We'll just have to be careful while we're out here." After another moment when it became sufficiently evident they weren't being followed, he led the way back onto the path and further into the countryside.

"I refused to be taken by surprise like that again," his friend continued with a quick, angry swish of his tail. "Next human that tries that is the one who's going to be surprised!" With a subdued yell, he raised a purple fist into the air, before adjusting his small backpack.

Despite his bravado, he noticed his partner frequently glancing behind them nervously for at least the next half-mile.

Finally: "So, did you have any particular Pokémon in mind you want to join us? I wouldn't mind having a combusken along for company."

Leo was glad at his partner's choice of words. Being a Pokémon, he really didn't want to 'capture' anyone, instead hoping he could just convince some to join them. Such was the way back on the Poké world, when one became sufficiently known from completing enough jobs successfully. But on Earth, neither he nor Blaze were known and there weren't any jobs for Pokémon to do, at least having to do with rescuing others or exploring new lands. So on Chris's urging, in case he couldn't convince any Pokémon with mere talking, or (and he shuddered at the thought) if said Pokémon actually insisted on being put in one after being defeated in battle… Just to make sure they were still there, he fingered the six brand-new Pokéballs that his custom-made belt was sporting, three to a side. "Basically, whoever will be willing to join us. Got room for five, according to the rules."

Blaze glanced at the belt with slight but obvious distain, even wrinkling his nose. "Not that I think we should use those, but…do you think they'll work for us? Chris said they imprint the owner's identity on Pokémon; he wasn't sure if they would work if the owner was another Pokémon."

"My hand was scanned at the store." Strange device, it was. A flat, translucent black plate that a light went across. Something to do with registering one's DNA and recording the information into the Pokéballs, preventing someone from capturing a Pokémon that 'belonged' to someone else.

He bristled at that terminology. Despite originally being human, his viewpoint was strictly as a Pokémon now and he just couldn't come to grips with thinking he could 'belong' to someone. He knew Blaze felt just as strongly about it. Of course in his case he would never have to worry about it, given one of the distortions around him (thanks to being from a non-existent timeline) prevented Pokéballs from working on him. His partner wasn't so fortunate.

"Let's hope we don't need to use them," Leo added.

Morning was slowly giving way to noon, the air becoming more humid and warm despite the growing clouds. Warm enough that they decided to take an early lunch under a tree some distance off the trail, Blaze slipping out of his backpack to retrieve the prepared lunch Chris packed for them in it. There was enough food for a couple days, then they'd have to forage. Surely there were some fruit trees or berry bushes somewhere, though he really didn't remember seeing any from their trek to Pinnacle Valley a couple months ago.

"Maybe we should go off trail for a while, see about some food and maybe spot some other Pokémon," Blaze suggested between mouthfuls.

Leo nodded while watching a human pass by on the trail, eyeing them with keen interest. Only about the tenth one they'd seen that morning. Maybe they should've moved even further off the trail before lunch…

Blaze sighed loudly between bites, his red tail twitching. "Every time I see a human now, I keep expecting them to throw one of those blasted balls at us."

"Then I'll throw one at them."

"They aren't supposed to work on humans," though the infernape's teeth were showing between his red lips in a grin anyway.

Grabbing a sandwich and one of the strange orange fruit that was unimaginatively called an 'orange', "Maybe I should've gotten that hat." The image of him in the mirror when he tried on the one still struck him as ridiculous; although…perhaps…it might have him appear a little more as a serious trainer. _Perhaps._

"Oh….food!"

He was already turning toward the rustling behind them in unison with Blaze before he heard the high-pitched voice. Within seconds, a small light-green Pokémon with a relatively large leaf attached to it's head came walking out of the grass, pale red eyes transfixed on them…or rather, what was in their hands.

She stopped well short of them before looking around, apparently confused. "No humans? But I smell human food…"

"You're a chikorita," Blaze pointed out, cocking his head. "No humans here. Just an infernape and a swampert."

The small creature seemed even more confused in squinting, before suddenly pointing and almost screaming: "You have Pokéballs and a belt!"

Leo put his best smile on his wide face after noting the telling glance from Blaze. They certainly could use a grass-type on their beginning team…

* * *

"You really think you can beat human trainers? Humans are smart and all!"

Blaze lowered his head in stifling a laugh.

Being on a flat, straight part of the trail affording a view a good distance ahead, he could see one said human approaching from way off. If they were lucky, he'd get to demonstrate. "I know, and we've already beat a few. We did some training in Jade River City yesterday; Blaze was awesome." His friend grinned as the chikorita widened her eyes. "So, would you like to be part of our team then?"

"Well…" She paused, using a front leg to brush off a piece of moist bread that had stuck to her from the sandwich. "…OK. I've never heard of any of other Pokémon becoming trainers before; this'll be fun!"

Rubbing the base of one of his gills thoughtfully, "But, you really should have a name."

"I already have one. I'm Chikorita."

"So is every _other_ chikorita," Blaze pointed out. "That's your species name, but me and Leo have unique names. Why shouldn't you?"

"Uh…alright, but what should it be?" She didn't sound very sure.

"What do you _want_ it to be?" Leo asked.

The chikorita stared back blankly while Blaze wore a more thoughtful expression on his red face. "It should have something to do with what she is, like mine is."

"In other words: not like _mine_, because it's more a human name?" Leo needled, getting the expected slight embarrassment from his partner. He started scratching his one head fin, which had been itching like crazy in the past hour; healing from injuries seemed to do that to his fins. "Maybe…" Now, what _would_ be a good name related to a grass-type, and a chikorita in particular, yet also be good for a bayleef and a meganium, which she would evolve into someday? "…Rosy?" In response to the stares: "Yes, it can be a human name, but it also reflects your flowery nature. Especially when you evolve. I mean, you will look more and more like a flower…" Blaze's uncertain look had him immediately question his suggestion.

"I like it!" the chikorita quickly exclaimed, squealing excitedly. "Hello, Blaze and Leo, I'm now Rosy!"

"She really doesn't like it, does she?" his friend teased in a low, doubtful voice, jabbing a purple thumb down at her.

"Apparently not," Leo returned straight-faced as Rosy started protesting. But in looking ahead: "It looks like that human actually might be a trainer."

"I can see the Pokéballs on her belt…" Blaze replied, shading his eyes against the overhead sun as they broke from the cover of several trees lining the trail.

"_Him_," Leo corrected, once they got a bit closer.

With a furrowed brow and in a perplexed tone: "But it has long hair."

Rosy was now nearly snorting with laughter. "Human males sometimes have long hair! Even _I_ know that!"

Turning with a scowl, "Hey, we're still new around here," Blaze shot back.

"New? What'cha mean?"

"It's a long story," Leo said just as the human stopped many paces before them. It didn't take the man long to whip out what looked like a Pokédex and mutter something like "Holy…" Of course he gave the human a good looking over too. In addition to the long, black hair spilling from under an equally black hat with a sliver band, the man was dressed in a brown shirt and perhaps some faded black soft leather pants and boots. A light-colored belt held several Pokéballs along with a couple small compartments, with more storage in a backpack fully harnessed to him.

"If looks are any indication, this human looks experienced," Blaze mumbled with a scowl, tail twitching.

After returning the Pokédex to its compartment on his belt, the human seemed confused for just an instant before unclipping a Poké ball and quickly stepping forward. Pointing: "You, infernape and swampert! If you don't already belong to a trainer, then I challenge you to a battle! You'll be my next Pokémon!"

Again, Leo felt himself bristle at mention of the word 'belong', but kept his response neutral: "I _am_ a trainer! And I challenge _you_ to a battle!" He fingered his belt to better make the point.

"You…you speak _human?_" Rosy gasped.

The man blinked, the Poké ball falling out of his hand to the beaten earth and grass path as he stood motionless for several seconds. A slight gust of wind blew through the nearest oak trees before he spoke again: "Say…what?"

"I said I'm a trainer! Yes, I'm a swampert and yes I can speak. Is there a problem with that?" Although it was still usually funny to witness human reactions when he spoke to them for the first time, it was also starting to get old.

Again it was many seconds before the man stammered something. "Well, I…uh… I've…um…never…heard of a Pokémon being a trainer…or _talkin_g_!_ You…you're really…talking, right? This isn't some trick?"

With the consternation on the man's face, he really wished he a had a camera. Shaking his head, "No trick! Now, you wanted a battle? I mean, as between trainers, since you're not allowed to capture other trainers. Or my own Pokémon…friends." As he didn't want to belong to a human, so too other Pokémon shouldn't belong to him. Only thing was the terminology of the human world didn't make it easy to refer otherwise.

"Since you can speak, I think I would really like to try now more than ever!" the human retorted with a spreading grin.

"Don't even think about," he growled back, feeling at once weary. "As the trainer, I can't be in the battle anyway."

"Uh…right. That _is_ the rule…" Then in more of a half-mumble: "Though it's meant more to keep Pokémon from battling people directly."

Pointing, he moved them to a wider spot in the path. Still in human speak: "OK Blaze, let's win this." Behind him: "Don't worry Rosy, I'll use you in the next battle…unless we go against a fire or flying type."

Her pupils widening, the chikorita looked back and forth between Blaze and the human before stepping forward to stand behind Leo. "This'll be the first time I'll see a battle without someone trying to capture me."

He noticed she spoke without any hint of animosity; which only provided further proof that many Pokémon truly didn't mind being captured…

"A fire type, huh?" the man said more to himself. "I suppose _you_ can speak too!"

Blaze shook his head as he walked out into the space between them, brushing part of his long mane back over his shoulder. "Not in human." Which of course sounded unintelligible to the man.

"Well, you look like one tough Pokémon there, Infernape. Think I'll need you, Dino!"

Dino? Leo watched the man unclip a different Poké ball and hold it out, glad to hear a human actually give a Pokémon a real name for once. As the red beam shot from the ball, a small form appeared at the end, completely materializing in only a second. He stared at the blue and grey creature that was slightly more than half of Blaze's height, memory finally serving up the species name.

"Ha ha, that's a cranidos," Blaze said, swinging his head around.

"A rock type," Leo furthered. Seeing Rosy looking on curiously, "Have you seen one before?"

Shaking her head, "No. They aren't found here that I know of."

Blaze's expression was worried though, "Rock type? Ah…how much medicine you have in your pack?"

"Enough." He hoped. Rock types of course were quite resistant to fire attacks. Rosy's attacks would be far more effective, but should he use her already? She really needed to observe first to ease her into it… Judging from his partner's glance to her, he was thinking the same thing.

Across the path, the cranidos was narrowing its eyes as its trainer was talking to him quietly…focusing them directly on him…

"Alright, then we're ready!" the man shouted. "Dino, head butt!"

With a glare and a frown, the cranidos scraped the ground once with his right leg before jumping forward in a head-first rush toward Blaze.

Its speed was surprising and Leo immediately felt behind the curve with a dodge command. Blaze was more ready in jumping even before he finished the word…and nearly not ready enough to dodge himself as the small dinosaur-like Pokémon swerved slightly to continue his charge straight at him! "Hey!" shouting as the cranidos braked to a stop just past where he'd been standing.

"Pokémon are _not_ trainers!" the Pokémon snarled in swinging around to face Blaze again.

"Dino!" the man yelled with obvious scolding. "Do _not_ attack trainers! Even if it is a Pokémon! That's illegal and can get us disqualified in real matches!"

The blue and grey Pokémon shrugged, snorting a nonverbal response.

Leo didn't wait for him to finish. "Flamethrower!"

Blaze responded with some of the brightest flames he'd released in a while, running in to fully engulf the rock-type with his fiery breath. Heat waves greatly distorted the view above, further testifying to the intensity of the flames leaving his mouth.

Despite his annoyance at the cranidos's attack and the subsequent satisfaction at a quick counter-attack, he focused on the flames, watching for the first sign of… "Dodge to the right!"

His friend leapt instantly even before all the flames from his mouth had died out, the cranidos just as quickly charging out of the flames...and missing.

"Ha ha!" Blaze shouted in landing behind the rock-type as he slowed to a halt some couple dozen feet away. "That'll teach you to attack Leo! You're supposed to be battling _me_, remember? Be glad; Leo's a water type and he'd beat you but good!"

Dino moved his head to the side as if spitting. In fact, he did. "Seems I have to teach _you_ manners. A Pokémon commanded by another Pokémon pretending to be a trainer deserves no respect!"

Baring his teeth, Blaze wasn't smiling.

Leo felt his own lips following suit. This Pokémon needed to get it's stubby tail kicked but good.

"He's a nasty Pokémon," a quiet voice said from behind.

Nodding his acknowledgement of Rosy's comment, he didn't dare to take his eyes off the battle. The opposing trainer seemed equally focused, but had seemed content to let his Pokémon make it's own escape without any commands.

All at once though: "Dino, zen headbutt!"

A chill spread through him as he watched the head of the cranidos starting to glow slightly as he began his charge. "Dodge!" At first, his worry was purely for Blaze as the partly psychic energy move had the potential to knock him out in one hit, probably causing a fair amount of real injury in the process. But the cranidos's sneer as Blaze leapt out of the way save for his tail, and kept on charging spoke exactly who he was really going for again.

In the split-second to decide whether to dodge or attack, his mouth filled with water on it's own and by then it was too late to get out of the way… The water pulse left his mouth, impacting the small rock-type just before he crashed into him at full-speed!

He remembered hearing both Blaze and the human scream. Next thing, he was staring up from the ground, his worried partner just arriving over him with the human likewise over the out-cold cranidos.

"How bad are you hurt?" Blaze asked frantically in putting a hand on his shoulder, his red and yellow mane puffed greatly.

"Are you OK?" Rosy added, her vines gently rubbing his forehead and gills.

As the pain from the impact was still setting in, it at least felt confined to his chest and stomach…and it wasn't really all that bad. If it hadn't caught him off-guard so, he probably wouldn't even have ended up in the grass. "I think I'm alright," speaking as he started getting up, Blaze's red-haired arms and Rosy's short vines helping.

Absorbing his Pokémon back into it's ball, the man faced them. "Oh boy, s…sorry about that. Dino usually doesn't behave that way. I don't know what's wrong with him. Even though you're a Pokémon, I told him you're a trainer, so…"

"He didn't like seeing another Pokémon acting as a trainer," Blaze promptly provided.

Leo translated.

"Huh? Oh, I… Well, alright, you have to admit, this _is_ a little unusual. Actually it's unheard of. You are the most unusual Pokémon I've _ever_ met or even heard of!"

"I hear that a lot," starting to brush some of the mud off himself that the water pulse created.

"I mean, a _talking_ Pokémon…without telepathy. And you're a trainer to boot? You should be in the papers and all over the internet!"

He took a step back with the human clearly getting excited. "I'd rather not be." Really, he didn't care for publicity, but when he made the decision to become a trainer (again), he knew he was likely to get a lot of it. Didn't mean he was going to go out of his way for it, though.

* * *

"Hopefully the next Pokémon won't be so…"

Leo waited for his partner to come up with the perfect word as the three of them continued down the path after finally breaking away from the human. He certainly had a few 'human' words in mind for the cranidos, none of which he was certain he wanted Blaze to hear...at least from him. The language on the Poké world had very few words that could be considered true swearing.

"He was very disrespectful," Rosy finally said. "_I_ don't think there's any problem with you being a trainer since you can speak human. And I thought you were doing good before that cranidos decided to break the rules!"

"Thanks." Looking down, he found her with an infectious smile.

She continued: "But..._how_ do you speak human? Most of us understand the language, but speaking it is very difficult."

"Should we tell her?" Blaze asked, obviously intending for her to hear the question.

Leo gave a shrug. "It's a long story," replying to the chikorita.

"Oh," sounding a little disappointed.

He enjoyed the silence they fell into for a few minutes before hearing Blaze let out a contented-sounding sigh. "What?"

Looking up, then around them, "Was just thinking how much this feels like back when we were taking jobs and going on missions to places. Here we are on our own again, exploring a new world and looking for adventure."

Now that he mentioned it… "You're right. This does feel like those times." He let out a quick chuckle, feeling suddenly more excited then he had for a while. "Ahh…on our own again."

"I wonder if there's any treasure to be found here."

"The treasure is new recruits this time," Leo supplied.

"What are you talking about?" Rosy's high-pitched voice squeaked up from between them. "Treasure? Missions? _New world_?"

Exchanging a glance with Blaze, "Your turn."

Grinning, "It's a long story," the infernape answered.

"Awww, come on! If it's fun, let me in on it! Please?"

"What do you think, tonight maybe?" Leo asked his partner.

Blaze whipped his tail around, staring thoughtfully overhead. "Maybe as we're staring up at the stars."

Leo liked the sound of that and started thinking of how to put a new spin on their story as a low whump-whump-whump grew louder behind them, quickly reaching near ear-splitting levels before the source revealed itself through the tree branches that swayed under it's wake. "A helicopter?" Along with Blaze and Rosy, he watched the 'chopper fly slowly overhead, stirring up all kinds of dust and dirt around them before it headed off it a different direction, further down the path. Only instead of it's sound completely fading like it was receding, it sounded more like…

"What's it doing?" Blaze asked.

"It sounds like it's landing," he answered, not entirely sure of his memory of such things. "There must be a clearing way down there."

"What's that thing for?" Rosy asked, Blaze's face having the same question.

"Carrying people or cargo. But why would it be landing here?" Should they approach or not? Unfortunately, the helicopter appeared to have landed where they were going anyway, so… "Come on."

"It is safe?" Rosy asked, hesitating.

"One way to find out," Blaze answered, his expression still questioning.

Leo took the lead down the path, it taking a couple minutes to get close enough where they could hear the sound of a human talking quietly, not too far away. He slowed as his instincts started urging caution just as Blaze shouted, suddenly grabbing his arm. Turning, he saw three humans among the trees around them…all pointing what looked like long guns…

Pops…two of them…followed almost instantly by one incredibly painful sting in his leg!

Blaze was just a quickly screaming next to him, jumping up and back several feet.

"What happened?" Rosy screeched, whipping her head all around, wild-eyed.

Looking down first at his leg and then at Blaze, he discovered they were both now sporting what looked like frilly blue darts sticking out of them. Almost relieved they weren't bullets, he pulled the one out of his leg. It looked strange, like it was meant to hold some liquid…

"Wait for it to work!" one of the humans in the trees shouted, apparently stopping the other two from moving.

"It?" Blaze shouted angrily, pulling his own dart out of his shoulder and facing the half-concealed humans. Throwing it down, "What are these?"

Leo stared with his partner, but the fact the humans weren't moving was giving him a bad feeling. "Blaze, Rosy, I think we need to get out of here. _Now._ Back to Jade River!" Blaze leapt and started running behind him as Rosy kept up in the rear.

"What is it?" Blaze shouted.

"I don't know!" If he had his full human memories, perhaps he would. But he didn't.

"Crap!" Send out the Pokémon and just keep them in sight!"

Huh? Looking behind them, he witnessed several Pokémon taking form at the end of red beams…including a rhydon! They all hit the ground running.

"Ha ha! Faster you two!" Blaze shouted, lowering his head a little. "There's too many of them!"

At first they could keep ahead. But after only a couple moments, he was already feeling tired. He wasn't breathing all that hard, yet his legs were starting to feel weighted, hard to move. In fact, this was about the same feeling he got at the base of Temporal Tower, as his existence was being erased… _No, that can't be possible, not again…not now!_

"Leo? You have to hurry!" Rosy shouted as she and Blaze passed him.

With the pursuing Pokémon quickly catching up, he tried redoubling his efforts to move, but tripped, fell… No, this was a different sensation now. Not just a weighted down feeling, but fatigue…weariness…no energy…falling asleep...

"What's wrong?" Blaze had stopped, looking prepared to fight as his mane puffed greatly, though he shook his head as if trying to clear his vision.

"Run!" He wanted to shout at the top of his lungs, but the strength wasn't there. "Get back to the city, tell…Chris!" With just standing back up and taking a couple labored steps being all he could manage, he accepted he wasn't going to be able to avoid these people. Finally he realized what was going on: the darts must have injected drugs into them! "I can't run anymore; get out of here! Both of you! Get…help!" Now…even his breathing was labored. "Go!" As best he could, he gave his partner a push.

Blaze's eyes grew even larger before he ran off a few seconds before the other Pokémon arrived, Rosy following him. Of course, his partner had gotten a dart too, but was it just taking larger, or maybe it didn't affect him as much?

Almost startlingly, the rhydon appeared in front of him, but he was too tired to flinch, and even standing became impossible. Breathing heavily in trying to get air from a sudden breathless sensation, he started falling, the rhydon's arms catching him.

_Two humans were sitting at a desk, talking, one dressed in what looked like human apparel designed for camouflage. The other quickly took a photo out of his vest pocket, shoving it across. A photo of a swampert. More talking and soon a small wad of cash followed the photo across the smooth surface. They shook hands as everything was fading…_


	2. Chapter 2: Tag Along

_**Author's note:**__ Thanks _Dark Flygon Naxi _and_ Siran 774 _for the reviews! This is the longest chapter of the three that make up this story. I also might edit it a little more yet (I'm sure there's a mistake or two somewhere), but after three drafts, it's time to publish it. Comments and reviews are still most definitely welcomed!_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Tag-Along**

Somewhere around him there were muddled voices. It was hard to move and hard to wake up, though he managed opening his eyes a little. Blurry at first, his vision soon cleared enough to see several thick vertical bars in front of him…and several human males, one in camouflage.

"The antidote is taking affect," the human said.

Whatever it was, he was feeling more awake by the second, enough that he could move his head around. The first thing he discovered were the vertical bars completely surrounding him…he was in a cage! And outside, it was like a small warehouse complete with a truck, with only some moderate lighting from above. Daylight shone in from numerous cracks around doors and joints in the walls.

"So," the camouflaged human continued in a rough, direct voice, "is it satisfactory?"

Another of the humans, older with graying hair and dressed in finer clothes than the others, approached the bars to peer in at him with a discriminating expression through fine-rimmed glasses. With an upturn of his mouth: "It looks like a good enough specimen. But I'm surprised you managed to find one so quick."

The Dimensional Scream vision… It took him a moment to recall. Right, it was happening just as he was going unconscious…

"Yeah, we caught wind of one heading out of Jade River yesterday morning without any trainer. Curious thing, it had a pack and some Pokéballs with it, but all empty."

The buyer's eyebrows went up. "Really?"

"Eh, probably delivering them somewhere. Anyway, the price is seventy, minus the prepayment of ten making it sixty thousand…"

That's right: money had been exchanged. Wait…he was being…_sold!_ At first, the shock of such paralyzed him. Then fury followed and he had a mind to give these humans an earful! He just barely switched to Poké language before the words left him, guessing that if they knew he could speak in human… Throwing in a charge into the cage bars for good measure, they sadly were as solid as they looked.

The buyer nearly jumped back, earning the laughs of the other three humans, one whispering afterward: "Didn't know what he was asking for!"

Staring through the cage at him, the buyer remained wide-eyed for a good moment. Finally: "Well…it looks like it'd be hard to control. I assume it doesn't come with a Pokéball?"

Camouflaged Man smirked. "I think you understand correctly, but as we discussed that shouldn't be a surprise to you, considering you came to _me_. You said you needed one no matter the source. Of course, there are ways to remove Pokéball imprinting, but that won't stop it from trying to get back to it's owner if that's what it wants to do. Although we can provide some service in that case, my advice is still to take precautions. But that's your affair. Mine was just to acquire one as hired."

Unable to do anything else, Leo growled, loudly. Being treated like this was beyond intolerable! When he got out...

The men paused, waiting for him to stop.

"I'm not so sure," the buyer said hesitantly. "It looks like it'll be a handful and not safe to be around. Maybe I'll offer thirty, but can't you find a tamer one?"

Maybe a little more hostility was called for, Leo decided before slamming his shoulder into the bars again, causing the cage to shake somewhat. It hurt though.

"Look buddy, swamperts are fully evolved Pokémon," Camouflaged Man explained. "They don't _come_ tamed, unless raised by you. Ones captured for the first time will require constant supervision; I'm sure I warned you about that."

The older man looked unconvinced. "Make that twenty."

Camouflaged Man sighed with a grimaced before dismissing the other two humans out of the large room. "Alright, tell you what: if you pay _eighty_, I'll throw in something extra and really special. I was planning to sell it separately, but I'll use it as a sweetener here. When we caught this swampert, it wasn't alone. It was with an infernape. And this infernape went right into a pokéball, so it isn't even owned! I figure this swampert got together with some wild infernape, as unbelievable as it sounds. I mean, fire and water types don't generally mingle of their own accord. Anyway, pay eighty and you get both. Image how happy you're daughter will be, and you won't lose your deposit."

They…_got Blaze too?_ With the loudest growl he could muster, he lit off with a spate of words in Poké language that he never thought he'd use while grabbing the cage bars, shaking them with all his strength and making both humans back way up. Still, the bars gave none and Camouflaged Man quickly became bemused.

"We'll deliver it tranquilized of course, and you can keep the cage. It'll mellow some with time…"

Mello? If he could get any more angry, he didn't know how! First thing he was going to do when he got out was rip a few humans apart with his bare hands!

"…they all do. Just work with it some."

Leo noted the older man still looked doubtful, although through his rage he wasn't too sure.

Finally: "Well, I guess I'll give it a go. But you sure that cage will hold it?"

"Except for a few steel rock types, that cage will hold any Pokémon, guaranteed," Camouflaged man replied, now smiling slightly. "We build and use them ourselves, so this one is defiantly top-notch."

Leo snorted his anger as the buyer was still staring at him thoughtfully. "Alright, let's discuss the payment details."

"Great. Let's go to my office; we can still arrange delivery for this evening."

In a few footsteps on the concrete floor, the two humans left the same way the others had, leaving him alone.

Mother son-of-a-female-arcanine! Although he tried to calm down to think, his pounding heart refused to slow. He had to get out and rescue Blaze! But they said he went right into a Pokéball, so…his partner was in one somewhere…

Keeping one foot on the cage floor, he braced the other against one of the bars. Grasping a different bar with both hands and using his one leg for extra leverage, he started pulling with all he had. Unfortunately the one human hadn't been kidding. The bar flexed…maybe…a millimeter.

Damned thick bars!

"ARRR!" With a good heave, he slammed his shoulder into the bar one last time in frustration, wincing in pain after, before giving the bars several kicks with the flat of his foot. When he was captured by Chris nearly three months ago, he thought there couldn't be anything more humiliating. Boy was he wrong! Here he was just being treated like any old cow, sold from one person to another, no better than livestock!

He swore when he got out there was going to be some payback!

Maybe, if they knew he used to be human… No, too great a risk.

"You can't get out," a deep but surprisingly smooth voice informed from somewhere behind.

Swinging around, he spotted the rhydon from before as it slowly walked around one of the piles of crates in the large room. He could tell immediately from it's build the large, gray horned Pokémon wasn't the one from Fore-Nine island. Thankfully. That one would probably want to tear him to pieces…if it was still alive. But this one still was just as large, though perhaps not quite as muscular.

"Just be happy," he continued, almost in monotone. "That human looks nice 'nuff; you'll have a good home."

"I already _have_ a home," Leo replied, controlling his anger. At least this rhydon didn't act like it had a chip on it's shoulder against him unlike the other.

Yawing as it braced an elbow on one of the crates: "Forget it. You have new owner now. You can do nuthing 'bout it."

Shouting back: "Hey, I'm not a piece of property! Neither is my friend!"

"The infernape?" With only a bored-looking stare, the creature gazed across the room to a table where several Pokéballs were sitting. With what sounded like slightly more interest as it cocked it's head: "Why were you carrying Pokéballs? Did you steal them?"

Leo paused while coming up to the cage bars closest to the rock-type Pokémon. "I didn't steal them. I'm a trainer."

The rhydon's eyes shot full open.

It seemed to take him several moments before it even looked like it could respond. Of course, rhydons weren't known for being the brightest of Pokémon. But during those moments, he wondered if he should go the next step and reveal who he really was. It wasn't as if the rhydon could tell any human, but if he could maybe convince the creature to break him out… "I also used to be human."

After yet another moment, the Pokémon's mouth finally fell open…with a gapping smile. Leaving it's spot by the crate to approach, "That's impossible!"

In human speech: "No, just unlikely, but I _did_ used to be human." As the rhydon yelped, he was sure the Pokémon couldn't open it's eyes any wider.

In the span of a few seconds though, his face lost it's surprised look, replacing it with a half-smile: "You being funny. You just managed to learn human somehow is all. Water types are so weird." Walking around the cage, he repositioned himself near the door and braced against the wall, falling back into his bored look.

Well, not that he really thought the rhydon would believe him. Sighing, "Give me a phone. I'll prove it."

"Can't do that," the larger Pokémon answered in shaking it's massive head. "Captives can't have stuff like that."

Well trained, this one! As he tried thinking of some other way to convince the creature to let him out, the door opened again, this time a young girl of perhaps six or seven walking in. With long blonde hair and dressed in a white and pink dress, it was immediately apparent she was very cute. She jumped on nearly running into the rhydon, but recovered quickly to give an almost immediate bow. "Hi Mr. Rhydon. Jake said I could visit my new pet!"

_Pet?_ Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on the bars while watching the rhydon merely tilt his head a little toward him, apparently giving the child permission.

"Oh! It's bigger than I thought!" The girl stared at him for a few seconds before walking up to the bars in obvious awe.

_Well within grabbing distance_, he thought as she came practically nose to nose with him. The rhydon quickly left his spot by the wall to gently move her back a few feet. Not that he would've actually grabbed her, though clearly some Pokémon had done something like that before.

"Hi, Mr. Swampert. My dad says he's getting you for me! Water types are my favorite, and I've always wanted a swampert! You can carry me on the water when we go to the beach!"

Like hell he was! Still, he had to admit her beaming smile was disarming, framed as it was by her blonde locks of hair, and he couldn't help giving a slight one in return. But the fact remained he and Blaze had been kidnapped and were now being sold. Although he knew she wouldn't understand him: "Listen kid, I have my own life. Those guys kidnapped me. This isn't right!"

The girl frowned as the rhydon narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why don't you talk to her in human talk?"

Was he serious? "Because they'll probably have me dissected like a lab rat in the name of advancing the science of Pokémon anatomy." The rhydon's blank look said as much that some of the words were beyond him.

With a head-strong charge, the girl evaded the rhydon's arm to attach herself to the cage bars. "You're pretty. I like you." Before he could react, she had a hand through the bars, touching his forearm and giggling. "We're going to have so much fun!"

The door yet again opened, revealing one of the humans who had captured them. "_There_ you are. Come on young lady, you're not allowed in here by yourself." Holding his hand out, he waited.

The girl frowned as she walked over to him, but turned and winked before the door shut behind them.

"She lied," the rhydon observed without emotion, staring at the closed door.

Leo thought about saying something about both humans and Pokémon doing that occasionally, but didn't feel like expending the effort. Eventually: "Guess she was just too excited about owning me," in a bitter tone. Abruptly, he turned his back on both the door and the rhydon to lay on the hard, cold metal floor of cage, feeling all at once depressed. If only they knew (and believed) he was human, they might release him. Or it might make his situation worse. Given their characters, he'd bet the later.

And what about Blaze? At least if they were sold together, then they'd be together. So there was some hope. Further, they _had_ to let him out of the cage sometime! Though if they thought he was going to try and run away, then the buyer was probably going to take some kind of precaution. _He_ would, if the situation were reversed….especially with the kind of money that seemed to be changing hands.

As visions of collars and chains came to mind, he felt more and more depressed. Idly, he watched the rhydon move its large form around the cage, heading toward the other end of the room.

Looking back at him briefly, "I need a bush. Don't go anywhere; I'm supposed to be guarding you. If I feel like it, I'll pick some berries for you." The rhydon opened the small door next to the much larger garage door, letting in a bunch of morning sunlight.

Catching sight of trees through the opening, he observed with slight amusement as the Pokémon barely squeezed through the opening obviously designed for only humans before closing it behind him, just missing getting it's massive tail caught.

Alone, finally.

Not that it meant much. The cage was, in every sense of the word, impossible to break out of! At least for him. Looking around the room, he hoped maybe the key was around somewhere. On the table where Blaze's Pokéball was, there did indeed seem to what looked like several keys on a ring, though it was a little too far away and partly hidden under some gloves to tell for sure. In any case, they were so far beyond his reach they might as well have been on the moon.

Too bad he didn't have the vines of a ivy or venusaur.

Lacking that, there was nothing he could do. He didn't just feel sorry for himself, but also for Blaze. If it hadn't for his desire to try a be a trainer again, he wouldn't have gotten either of them into this mess. Now both of them were paying the price. At least Rosy got away…or at least none of the humans had mentioned her. Presumably since she hadn't been shot with a dart, they must have thought she hadn't been valuable enough to bother over.

Thankfully.

Resting his wide chin on his forearms, he simply lay still. The view from inside the cage was greatly depressing. Blaze's view from inside the Pokéball couldn't be much better…assuming he had a view. "I'm sorry, Blaze," whispering.

With a slight juggle of the knob, the outside door opened; he just closed his eyes and listened to the rhydon's return as the door shut quickly again. But the expected heavy footfalls were much quieter than before. In fact, they were nearly like…

"Leo!" a hushed and familiar voice whispered loudly from in front of him.

Shooting his eyelids open, his found the small, light green chikorita just outside the bars. "Rosy! How…how'd you get here?"

"I used my vines to hang on to the bars on the bottom of that heli… helicooper," she chirped happily. In more of a screech: "What are these humans doing to you?"

"They're selling us to someone!" But, rather than go into all the details… "Can you reach Blaze's Pokéball on the table over there and release him?" Pointing, "It's the one closest to the left. Hurry!" Who knew how long the rhydon was going to be away.

"That rhydon was picking berries," Rosy replied, apparently knowing what the hurry was. Once at the table, she extended her short vines out from her neck to gently feel around the side of the table, quickly finding and grasping the said Pokéball. A few seconds later, the infernape was standing between them, facing Rosy.

"Huh?" Looking around and shaking his head, he appeared only slightly sleepy. "Where…"

"Shhh!" Leo hissed. In a whisper: "Those humans are nearby. They'll put you back in if they find you out."

Blaze's eyes were already wide as he swung around. "You're…in a cage! What's going on?" Quick as lightening he was at the bars pulling on them, Rosy at his side and doing the same with her vines.

"Those humans are selling us to someone."

Blaze stopped dead, anger flashing across his red face. "_Selling?_"

"There's a rhydon outside who won't be gone much longer. We got to hurry and get out of here! I think there's some keys on the table there."

With a couple bounds, Blaze reached the table, grabbed something, and bounded back to thrust the ring of metal pieces through the bars.

His large fingers didn't make trying the keys very easy, nor did his pounding heart in anticipation of the rhydon's return at any instant. Blaze finally grabbed the ring out of his hand and proved much more adept in trying the lock. Out of the nine keys, it was, _naturally_, the ninth that proved correct for the lock.

"Freedom!" he nearly yelled as he hurried out. Well, almost…

Darting his eyes around, he knew which way _not_ to go, that being the door leading further into the building where all the humans were. But likewise, the rhydon was outside somewhere close too. Further, with the helicopter the humans had, they would have a difficult time getting away; they just couldn't run fast enough!

"Come on!" Blaze urged, Rosy already leading the way to the outside door.

"We can't go that way!" Leo replied in a loud whisper. "Remember the helicopter?" It was a good assumption it was somewhere near and ready for use.

The infernape swung around, spreading his arms with palms up. "Then how…"

It was a good question, and he focused on the three vehicles in the warehouse-like room: two small buggy-like four-wheelers…and one larger truck with a cloth covered back, something like out of one of the 'war' movies he and Blaze had seen recently. Looking to the ring of keys his partner had dropped on the floor, a couple of them of them resembled what he thought were vehicle keys. Facing Blaze with a grin, "How's your driving skills?" While the infernape stared back blankly, he retrieved the ring and hurried to the truck to open the door and climb in with a bit of a scramble over the high step and high seat. It took a moment to situate himself as best he could across the single wide seat while still leaving enough room for Blaze.

"Are…you…_crazy, _Leo?" Blaze hissed, sticking his head inside. "I have no idea how to…"

"_I _do! I'll teach you!"

He only started shaking his head as Rosy used her vines to help herself up onto the sidestep to peer in below him, wide-eyed.

"Blaze, I can't do this; you can! You can sit like a human and reach the controls." The fear in his partner's eyes as he stared at the machine's controls hit him. "It's not that hard. Trust me." To drive the point home this was the only way, he separated the key on the key ring that looked right and shoved it into the ignition, relieved as it went in perfectly.

With a quick look each way to the doors, Blaze's face became determined as he climbed in, carefully seating himself behind the wheel before quickly leaning forward and jerking his tail out of the way.

The first thing that was obvious was the seat needed to be adjusted to Blaze's height, even though it reduced the amount of space almost to a crushing point for a swampert's body lying sideways! Rosy at least could sit on the floor and be out of the way. After, it was a quick few seconds of instruction on the wheel, accelerator and the brake. "Remember, push the pedal harder to move or stop faster. Finally, to get going we release that parking brake by pushing on that third pedal, and move this handle to put it in gear…"

Without any warning, the outside door swung open and the rhydon started squeezing through…

…and feeling the adrenaline suddenly pouring into his bloodstream, Leo nearly wrenched the key off turning it…

The engine started at once, the rhydon nearly tumbling through to the floor, obviously startled. It started looking up…

With a reach and a quick jerk, Leo slammed the gear level into full drive. "The brake, Blaze, release the brake!"

"What's going on?" the rhydon roared as it rose, quickly plastering his long horn and large hands against the door glass next to Blaze. "What are you doing there!" it's loud voice slightly muffled.

Rosy screamed from the floor as she tried squeezing under the seat.

Planting his foot on the third pedal, Blaze slammed it to the floor hard enough that it almost sounded like it broke, but the truck eased forward in response.

"Stop!" Roaring, the rhydon reached his hand back, readying a strike through the glass as the truck leaned with it's weight now on the step.

"Push the gas!"

With equal force as with the parking brake, his partner slammed the opposite pedal to the floor, the engine matching the rhydon's roar while lurching across the few feet to the large garage door and smashing through it, sending most of it crashing down on top of the cab's metal hood and roof with a boom.

"Sto…OOF!"

The truck jerked as the rhydon was scraped off thanks to the narrow garage door amid the sounds of splintering wood. The side mirror just showed a quick glimpse of the large rock-type doing a roll on the ground through the now larger garage door opening.

They it actually made it out, Leo thought with relief, only to realize another worry dead ahead…in the form of a rapidly approaching line of trees! "Turn right!" Reaching a hand over again, he did what he could to help his partner turn the wheel enough, but at the speed the truck was going the truck swayed dangerously. "Let off the gas!"

Blaze grimaced further as human shouts told they had discovered what was going on. Whipping his head to look behind him at his own the side mirror, Leo saw they were running after them…and the truck was slowing down a little too much!

"Faster! Turn the wheel to keep us on this driveway!"

"Make up your mind!" Blaze just about screamed, his voice now high-pitched with an obvious death-grip on the wheel, looking flustered in trying to work everything for very much the first time.

Waiting for Blaze to work the pedal, Leo watched the mirror with growing fear as the humans almost caught up, before his partner's slam on the accelerator put the truck out of reach just in time amid a cloud of dust. Finally, it seemed they were actually going to get away as the truck vibrated from the gravel road and the trees seemed to blast past on either side. "You're doing great, Blaze," he encouraged, trying to calm his panting and sweating partner down as Rosy climbed on top of his back for a look out. Still, he kept watch on the mirror, just catching something move onto the small driveway…

"Leo…"

A red-haired arm pointing forward got his attention. Once again, they were coming up on a line of trees…with a black surface in front of it. A road…highway!

"Slow down and let's turn right onto this road. Remember, just let off the gas and let the truck slow on it's own, then slowly press the middle pedal to slow down more when we get close."

With a lot more warning, Blaze seemed a bit more comfortable in operating the pedals, and while slowing to a crawl, carefully made the turn onto the thankfully deserted small, two-lane road.

"Oh…this is great!" Rosy exclaimed with an excited smile as she moved around on his back, getting a look out in all possible directions. "I never thought we could use one of these human things!"

Leo agreed on the greatness factor. But being human once and having remembered at least a little of it, this really wasn't a big thing. "OK, speed up!" With most his concentration having been on instructing Blaze, he again whipped his head back around to check the side mirror. His heart leapt on seeing two buggies coming onto the road from the driveway, quickly turning in pursuit!

"Oh, crap!"

"What?" Blaze sparing him an instant glance.

"Floor it!"

"_What?_"

"_Push the gas pedal all the way down!_ They're following us!" His partner did so, almost losing control of the steering in the process. Yet even as the truck lurched in accelerating, the buggies were gaining and fast, and it was very apparent the truck would not outrun them. Only several oncoming cars in the opposite lane prevented the buggies from passing as soon as they could of, but soon enough one finally started to, arriving even with the door on Blaze's side From the bars that formed the roof, Leo saw through the window an aipom appearing ready for a leap… "Swerve left! Quick!"

Blaze looked between the buggy and him, wide eyed.

Leo didn't wait in grabbing part of the wheel and pushing it hard. Rosy nearly fell off of him as the truck reacted instantly, swerving into the oncoming lane and crashing into the buggy. The human driver was screaming as they plowed off the road. Blaze screamed himself in struggling to get the truck back into the proper lane before another oncoming car hit them, his red and yellow mane puffing greatly. It was a close call with plenty of horn blaring, but he was soon looking into the side mirror with satisfaction on seeing only one buggy still following…

…before his heart skipped yet another beat. "They got guns!"

Proving the point, a crack ripped out from behind at the same moment a new hole appeared in the rear bulkhead of the cab.

Blaze seemed to figure out what to do in no time, moving the steering wheel from right to left, making the truck swerve again across all the lanes.

It was exactly what he was thinking; it certainly worked when they were on Harry's boat a couple months ago, with Derganio's minions shooting at them when they were trying to leave the dock.

The roar of an engine got his attention, the side mirror showing the buggy practically disappearing behind them in matching their swerving. A quick glimpse of a light blue arm indicated some Pokémon jumping whatever gap remained just before a series of gunshots.

At once, the truck was shuddering…right as the face of another aipom appeared in the windshield!

Demonstrating it's agility, it swung around to the passenger-side window, it's tail whipping back for a strike.

"Leo, do something!" Blaze cried, turning the wheel more frantically in an effort to shake it lose, through the truck was starting to feel sluggish.

Leo wanted to react, but between the truck's movements and having very little room to move himself between the seat and the dash, he couldn't stop the aipom from smashing the glass inward and hopping in right on top of him!

Rosy shrieked, whipping her vines in a effort to ensnare the monkey-like Pokémon, but with her on one side of his large tail fin and the aipom ducking behind on the other, the surprisingly strong vines only impacted his sensitive dark blue fin. He yowled…

…to which Blaze responded by hitting the brakes while yanking on the wheel, causing the truck to veer onto the shoulder of the narrow road and take out a large sign advertising something in the process. Still, the aipom leapt onto the seat back behind the infernape, it's tail glowing…

Focus punch…an energy attack. He really disliked energy attacks. Doing one always left him feeling drained, as if a good portion of his strength evaporated. But such attacks could cause great injury and as such, he started reaching for the neck of the monkey as fast as he could before…

The aipom's tail was already swinging down as Blaze let go of the wheel to reach behind him…

…while Rosy shot her vines, nearly reaching the blue Pokémon's tail…

Leo covered Blaze's shoulder with his hand without thinking just as the monkey's tail impacted past Blaze's one hand…except Rosy's vines wrapped around its tail, preventing full contact. Despite all that, after a full second the nerves in his hand let him know full well what just happened…and they weren't happy.

Blaze also shrieked, leaping on top of the seat, shaking his own purple hand.

Through gritted teeth, he knew exactly how his partner felt. Yep, their hands were going to be a little sore…

Of course, the upside of an energy attack used against one self is your opponent usually being left much weaker afterward, and after jumping onto the seat back with Rosy's vines still wrapped around his tail, the small monkey-like Pokémon seemed out of breath.

Its mistake! Taking his good hand, Leo slammed it hard enough against the rear sheet metal of the cab to dent it! That was for both him and his partner, he thought with no small amount of satisfaction.

Blaze didn't notice…instead staring straight ahead with an open mouth. Looking suddenly forward, Leo didn't see the upcoming tree in time to brace himself…not that he could've really braced anyway.

The impact felt like it went all the way through him, from his side, through his ribs and leg, and straight into the seat back as it tried to crush him, but it thankfully wasn't too severe since the truck hadn't been going very fast. Besides, two large white bags inflated suddenly, cushioning some of it, though Rosy still flew forward, impacting his rear fin first. He gritted his teeth again while managing to ask Blaze and Rosy if they were OK. With relief, he saw both nod, Blaze brushing his long red and yellow mane out of his face.

"We can't go anymore?" Rosy asked in looking through the still intact windshield.

The truck, unlike them, was definitely _not_ OK. Steam was rising from the front end in sync with a hissing noise. And the sound of another vehicle stopping near them dispelled any thoughts of attempting a repair: "We have to get out of here!" Reaching behind for the handle, he back-kicked the door open and hopped out, Rosy following with Blaze doing the same on the other side.

"Hold it!"

At the side of the truck, he didn't get more then two steps before one of the humans came running from the back of the truck where the second buggy was parked, aiming a long gun at him.

"You, Swampert, are not getting away, dammit!" Holding his weapon with one hand, he started reaching for what looked like a radio with his other.

If only he could get around the front end of the truck, get the truck between them… With a quick turn, he started moving for it…only to have a shot impact through the door in front of where he was going.

"I said _stay there!_" the human yelled. "I'll shoot your leg if I have to! And who the hell was driving this thing?"

Leo didn't spare conveying any of his anger in his scowl and a growl, but with the gun aimed squarely at him, he knew that the three steps he needed to get behind the truck was likely two steps too many. Rosy was likewise frozen, still in the ditch where she had landed in leaping out of the truck.

"I was!" Blaze's voice screamed from the other side of the truck an instant before he came leaping from the side, tackling the human. Together they went rolling on the ground and further down into a shallow gully.

Leo went running for them, fearing if the human didn't let go of the gun, Blaze would be hurt or killed. Such worry turned out unnecessary as the infernape landed on top and biting the man's arm, ripped the long weapon from him. Swinging it as a club, he broke it in two against a nearby tree, following it up with a screaming infernape roar as his mane puffed greatly.

Wide eyed, the human rolled onto his feet, ran to the buggy and took off, the engine screaming under the strain.

"Thanks, Blaze!"

His partner grinned, right before some muffled moan.

"What was…" Rosy asked, instantly facing the truck.

Before any of them could react, the moan was followed by sounds of things moving and of someone walking around in the covered back in small, hurried steps!

"What is that?" Rosy whispered, hurrying to stand with him and Blaze several yards from the back of the truck.

More like _who,_ Leo wanted to respond, but the words caught in his throat as the heavy, dark green cloth covering the back was being parted...

A small, young face appeared, along with a equally fast smile. "Hi, Mr. Swampert!" the girl squealed in apparent delight. "Oh…and Mr. Infernape!"

"Oh…_great_," mumbling while his partner's face went blank.

"Who's that?"

"The daughter of the man who was buying us," Leo answered while folding his arms across his chest. Although he wanted to know just how she got into the back of the truck, he really didn't want to speak to her in human. Still, he felt worried she might have been hurt in the crash, though that didn't appear to be the case as she climbed down to the ground, seemingly unhurt, save for a scratch on her arm and a tear in her dress. Therefore, the best thing was to leave her and get to a town. "We should try and get someone's help to…"

His partner had his face to the sky however, and in another second he heard it too: the now unmistakable sound of an approaching helicopter! "We got to hide!"

Blaze pointed to what looked like the thickest part of the surrounding forest and with Rosy in tow, they all went running for it.

"Wait!" a high-pitched voice yelled behind them. "You're mine! Dad said you were MINE!"

Leo didn't pause nor did Blaze or Rosy, but he did glance behind them. Unfortunately, the wavering voice of the child was indeed because she was running after them, and with the helicopter rapidly approaching, there simply was no time to convince her to go back, either! He cursed to himself.

Bushes, branches, small trees, some with thorns; they ran through it all in a simple-minded plan to put as much distance through the thickest growth as possible. The sound of vegetation being run through behind them told of the girl following the whole time as the helicopter's pitch changed in an apparent landing, now some distance behind them. Hopefully far enough that the girl's near constant yelling for them to stop could no longer be heard. But after what had to of been at least a couple of miles, she had long since fallen silent.

And he was growing worried despite himself. Panting some, he stopped Blaze and Rosy near a large oak and waited, wondering if they needed to go further. If the 'hunters' had any kind of Pokémon with good scent-tracking, they wouldn't be able to rest very long. He had to assume they did.

"She finally give up?" Blaze asked while scanning the forest behind them.

"I hope so," Rosy said, huffing more than either of them.

Only a second later did the noise of someone walking a lot slower reach them, the girl emerging from behind some bramble bushes a moment later. Her dress was torn in many places, the bottom edge ragged, and she had every look of being completely out of breath and strength.

"There…you…are…" she huffed out heavily, bending over to brace her small hands on her knees. "Stop…running…away!" With a new determined look, she closed the gap to grab his arm and start tugging. "Come…back! I'm tired…of running!"

"She sure is persistent," Blaze remarked, hands on his hips.

Her grip was surprising strong (for a small human child), and she clung to his many-times-larger blue arm as he raised it.

"I'm not letting go of you!" she insisted, legs kicking weakly. "You're supposed to be _mine!_ I want a swampert!"

"A brat, if you ask me," Rosy commented, shaking her head while wrapping a vine around one of the girl's legs to help tug her back down.

With the added pull, the girl finally did let go and fell onto her rear…where she promptly started sobbing.

"Great, she's going to get us caught!" Rosy worried.

Again, it was another good time to talk to her in human speak and like before, if the humans caught up to them and found out he could speak human (if they didn't find out from other sources), they would probably have more planned for them than a simple sale! Sighing, he simply started moving deeper into the forest again, Blaze and Rosy taking the cue to do likewise, only the girl intensified her crying as she stayed put on the littered ground.

"I…don't go, Mr. Swampert! Please! I've dreamed of having one for sooo long!" Between her sad face, the tears, and the growing abandoned look she had sitting in the middle of the forest…

"Maybe…we shouldn't leave her here by herself."

The look on his partner's face said it all. If there _wasn't_ anyone following them, this small human could very well be in big trouble if they left her all alone and lost. That wasn't to say she wouldn't be in trouble with them either, but at least she wouldn't be alone and without protection. On the Poké world, wild Pokémon were always a threat when traveling; he already knew that to be the case on Earth as well.

In going back, he got the feeling he didn't know what he was getting them into. Resolving to leave her at the first human dwelling they encountered, he stood in front of her, her wet face staring back up at him. Then holding out one of his large blue, three-fingered hands, she instantly grasped it with her tiny fingers.

* * *

"Any idea where we are?" Blaze asked, scanning the horizon from the small hilltop they'd climbed.

It would have been an excellent view, but for all the surrounding tree-covered hills obscuring most of it. That…and the forest was proving to be much larger than they had thought. "It would help if we knew from where we started from," Leo replied. He knew where they had been captured, but after they had been drugged and knocked out, they could have been taken anywhere.

"I just know that I had to hang on for a while to that machine," Rosy replied. "Those bad humans took the two of you a long ways. I've never been in this area before."

For the want of a map…

Sensing the human girl plopping down on the ground next to him, he seriously wondered if she could keep going.

Looking up at him, "Is there a bathroom around?"

"Anywhere you want," he replied in Poké speech. Naturally she didn't understand and he pointed to some nearby bushes that weren't completely obscuring. But they were the largest bushes around.

Her face went slightly pale as she stared at the indicated vegetation. "That's not a bathroom!"

"What's a _bath_…room?" Rosy asked, her head cocked and leaf drooping to that side. After Blaze quickly explained it: "Well, I've never seen any of those!"

"She'll have to go like any of us," Blaze commented.

With the conversation in Poké speech, the girl stood back up with a start and started moving…a lot.

Again he pointed to the bushes.

And again, "That's not a bathroom! I can't use a dirty old plant!"

Leo looked to the others for ideas. Blaze shrugged and Rosy didn't seem very sympathetic in suggesting that when it got bad enough, she'd go no matter what. True, but… Finally and after a loud sigh as the girl started whining incessantly: "Just go behind the bush and relieve yourself!"

In human speech.

The girl stopped whining…as well as moving. Completely still, she stared back open-mouthed.

"Walk behind there and…do what you need to do," he repeated, less harshly. "There are no bathrooms out here." To make the point absolutely clear, he pointed at the bush and kept pointing.

"Are all human children like this?" Rosy asked Blaze.

"Don't know," the infernape replied, shaking his head and making his mane spread out. "We haven't been around many this young."

"You…talk," was the girl's simple and astonished-sounding words after another moment.

Leo smiled as best he could, though he dreaded what the consequences were going to be later. "Yes, I can. Now we need to keep moving, so relieve yourself so we can do so."

"But…" looking between the bush and him, "…I've…never… I don't know how. I need a bathroom."

"You don't know _how?_" He couldn't believe this! Had she ever been outside before?

"For an aipom tail's sake…" Grabbing her hand in his larger purple one, Blaze pulled/dragged her over to the bush and around it. After a moment, he seemed to have things in hand.

"Human children are too whiny," Rosy said with a frown as she stared through the trees to the area ahead of them again. "Not to mention helpless."

Leo couldn't disagree. However, unless they found some food soon, he guessed the 'bathroom' worry would be the least of it. His own stomach had been growling all morning and he'd been hearing Blaze's and Rosy's for a while; more walking was only going to make it worse and fast. Unfortunately, they hadn't passed any trees or bushes looking to be of the fruit-bearing variety. They were also going to need water, especially with the coolness of morning giving way to the heat of afternoon under the bright sun, even beneath under the cover of the forest.

He guessed the girl was soon going to be in as bad of shape if she wasn't already.

For about the tenth time that morning, he cursed not having their backpacks - but he didn't even remember seeing them anywhere in the room before they left. Probably were sitting in Camouflage Man's office.

"Now where?" Rosy asked after a slapping some bug crawling up her with one of her vines. "You know, I'm getting hungry. Might have to resort to eating these things," picking the squished insect from her foreleg and flicking it.

His hunger lessened just a little at the thought…

Of their most urgent needs though, water was at the top of the list; he and Blaze hadn't had anything to drink for over a day! Rosy at least found some before she rescued them, or so she had said before. (Actually, he could go a while without any, being able to sacrifice the water stored in his bladders that would normally be used for water-type attacks. If worse came to worst, he could give Blaze some of it, though his partner probably wouldn't like it!)

Since water always flowed downhill… Scanning through the trees as best he could: "Maybe that way," pointing to what looked to be the lowest valley. What he really hoped for was running into another Pokémon who knew the area, but so far all they'd seen were normal birds and other small animals (save for an untalkative ariados and several elusive starlys). If this was the Poké world, they would've certainly run into other Pokémon long before now.

Movement from behind the bush told of the girl finishing and soon she and Blaze were rejoining them, the girl with a much-relieved looking expression in the middle of her (now ragged) blonde hair, regaining much of her cuteness.

"Seems you handled that well," Leo smirked.

Blaze's red face gained a slightly deeper shade. "Well, some things are the same between species."

He thought about making some kind of reply, but the sound of a helicopter in the distance came through the forest, Blaze and Rosy noticeably flinching. It was time to get going again.

* * *

"I'm hungry, thirsty and tiiired!"

Leo visualized Rosy sighing before she even spoke: "She's worse than a baby chikorita!"

Blaze didn't comment, merely glancing behind him to the girl, though his tail was twitching in obvious annoyance.

Facing down to her: "Yes, we're all hungry, thirsty and tired," he told her, trying to hide his own annoyance. If her near-constant whining wasn't bad enough, the bugs were getting a little thick, too. Mosquitoes didn't exist on the Poké world, something he wished was true for all planets.

"Can we rest?" she insisted.

He had to admit with her hair matted, sweating, unsteady walk and feet dragging, she was looking near to falling over - like a nidoking close to being knocked out in battle. He sighed, not wanting the extra weight, but there was nothing else he could do for her. Stopping, he abruptly lowered himself to the ground. "Climb on me."

At once, her face brightened. "_Really?_"

Suffering both Blaze's and Rosy's stares, "Yes. I'll carry you. It shouldn't be too much further till we find some water." He hoped. They were indeed getting close to the valley where he thought there might be a stream or something, but there was no guarantee. If there wasn't water there, the only thing they could do would be to keep following the valley downhill.

In no time the girl was on his back with her arms around his shoulders and neck, and by him leaning a little further forward then he usually did, she managed to hang on quite well. She also seemed rather happy.

"My _talking_ swampert," she said softly.

Glancing back with a smirk, "You going to add her to the team?" Blaze asked while walking just ahead.

"Very funny," Leo shot back.

"Well, if humans keep Pokémon as pets or companions, why can't Pokémon keep humans as such?"

Of course, being one and having been the other, he didn't like the sound of either one. But it was humorous nonetheless and he grinned. "Maybe we can teach her an attack or two."

"Humans don't have attacks!" Rosy protested. "They're…uh, _human_. Like animals. All they can do is hit or punch or kick." With her vines, she made as if hitting some target in the air in front of her with imaginary fists.

"And use guns," Blaze replied, more seriously.

"And make machines," Leo added for good measure.

"How can you talk?" the girl asked.

Seeing he suddenly had Rosy's complete attention also, "It's a long story and you aren't old enough to understand anyway." Ducking below a lower than usual branch, he was careful to make sure she hung on. "Just accept that I can."

"Wait till my friends see you!" the girl crowed. "A swampert that can talk, and you're all mine!"

"I'm not your swampert," correcting in an instant. Enough was enough and he had to make that point clear. "I'm _not_ owned, and I don't want to be. I have my own life." He felt a small hand start rubbing over one of his gills before it grasped the spiky appendage firmly. "Hey, those are sensitive, be careful!" At least they weren't as sensitive as his head fins; if she had grasped one of those, he would of instantly set her straight about what _not_ to touch on him.

"You're a Pokémon; you supposed to be owned!" the girl protested. "I want you to be mine!"

Blaze cleared his throat…as if stifling a laugh.

"I know you do," Leo replied. "You should find a baby mudkip and raise him, then. Get your father to look for one."

That seemed to gain a little silence, at least while they navigated over a steeper part of the wooded hill they were carefully picking their way down. Blaze nearly had to catch Rosy after she tripped over a root, but was able to stop herself with a quick vine around a sapling. Encouragingly, the air felt to be getting a little moister, something his skin was sensitive to. It even smelled moister amid all the other forest scents.

"Well, I think I'm going to give you a name," the girl continued after they reached a less-steep area. "I think all Pokémon should have real names. Maybe I'll call you…"

"I already have a name," losing patience at her persistence.

"What is it?"

"Leo."

"Oh."

After waiting a few seconds: "What's yours?"

"Lucy."

"Pretty name." He only half meant it, wanting more for her to simply be quiet again.

Stopping dead in front of him, Blaze stared straight ahead. "Hey, Leo!"

Following Blaze's pointing, he saw it too: the reflection of water some distance down slope. His mouth instantly felt as dry as a desert just looking at it. "Water!" announcing in human speech so Lucy would know.

"I'm really thirsty!" she nearly cried, then grasping his gills in her hands, nudged him in the ribs on both sides with her feet! "Come on, let's go! Getty up!"

He'd watched enough television since he'd been (back) on Earth to know what the inference was, and he had half a mind to just suddenly rear up and make her fall off like one, too. But she would likely only fall straight onto his rear fin; no doubt, he'd come out the worse end of that deal. Other than that, he wasn't about to move, which only earned him a harder kick!

Blaze looked about half-way between shock and dying inside with laughter, with the later appearing like it was winning as his red race was slowly contorting into a wide grin; Rosy was just staring back with narrowing eyes.

"Come on, Leo!" Lucy insisted. "To the water, then we can drink!"

Let's see, what was it that was done to discipline human children? A water pulse would probably be too much, a hard whack would injure the small child… After another (even harder) kick: "We'll go when you stop kicking me! Or you can walk!"

That seemed to stop the girl.

"You have a lot of patience," Rosy said as they continued. "Any human treated me that way, and I'd choke 'em with my vines!" Hurriedly adding: "Not that I'd really hurt them…much."

"Fortunately few humans are like that," Blaze said, "at least the ones that are grown. In fact, we know several very good humans. Heroes, even."

The chikorita's eyes widened on her light-green face. "Really?"

Leo noted Blaze's eyes move to him before he nodded. "Yes, really."

The reflection of water through the trees proved to not be an illusion as they broke out onto the bank of a small river. The sight of the clear water was one of the most welcomed he had for a while! Rosy wasted little time jumping in and sinking her head in while Blaze helped Lucy get down off his back before going to the edge and quickly scooping up water with his hands. For himself, he waded in and sunk his head in like Rosy, swallowing large amounts of the cool, clear liquid and savoring the wetness of it not just in his mouth, but also on his skin.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

He swung around at his partner's words to find them directed to Lucy, who seemed frozen as she stared at the water. "She's not drinking," Blaze said.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked her.

"Dad told me don't drink river water. It's dirty."

He didn't quite understand this. For one, it looked and tasted clean to him. Second, on the Poké world they drank out of streams and rivers all the time; there was rarely an issue with it. "It's fine, and it's the only water there is. You have to drink it." She sure looked thirsty, her green eyes somewhat dull, but she was only moving them between him and the water.

Blaze held up a handful of water to her mouth. Finally, she took a quick sip before gulping.

He kept an eye on her for a moment to make sure she kept drinking before getting more himself by dunking his head underwater. Hence, he didn't notice the shadows moving across the water until catching the sound of something moving through the air overhead. By the time he pulled his head back above water, both Blaze and Rosy were already looking up.

"What are those?" Lucy asked, wide-eyed at the small flock of bird Pokémon.

"Some pidgey and a couple of pidgeotto," Leo answered, seeing the flock move against the puffy-cloud filled sky barely at tree-top level, settling in the trees along one side of the river near them. His heart was quickening at the possibly of finally being able to ask for directions. Or if they weren't friendly, then some serious battling while they attempted to retreat.

"What do we have here?" one of the pidgeottos asked, a male, watching them with something of a bored expression.

"Looks like a trainer and her Pokémon," a pidgey replied.

"Far off the paths," another quipped.

"I've seen a lot of trainers," the other pidgeotto said, this one a female, in an unimpressed tone. "This human looks far too young to be trainer. Or are they starting this young now? In any case, I don't like them much, trespassing like they are. But the blue one looks interesting."

The male pidgeotto, ruffling its feathers, puffed itself a little as the branch on which it sat swayed under its weight. "Well, they look somewhat harmless and I really _don't_ feel like picking a fight today. Yesterday was enough."

"Hey, they're in _our_ territory!" the female returned. "That's why we landed here. Besides, I want the experience."

"Whatever," the male replied shortly, clearly displaying a lack of enthusiasm in starting to preen himself.

Leo had heard enough, coming up behind Lucy to wrap his arms over her shoulders as Rosy moved protectively in front of her. "This human child is not our trainer! We're just taking care of her."

"And we're lost," Blaze added, also putting himself between the birds and Lucy.

That reduced the birds to whispering among themselves for a good moment, several flapping their red and cream-colored wings. After: "That's a new one," the female replied in dubious tone. "Answer me: what kind of Pokémon are you?"

"I'm a swampert, and my name's Leo," Leo answered. "Blaze and Rosy are my partners, and we speak the truth! Some bad humans captured and tried to sell us, but we escaped. This child got in the human vehicle we escaped in and wouldn't stop following us into the woods after we crashed and were fleeing. We couldn't leave her by herself in this forest, so we're taking her with us. But since we don't know where we are, we could really use some help to find a human town or city."

The male pidgeotto appeared to regard this for a several moments even as its partner seemed to be growing agitated. Finally in a helpful-sounding tone: "The nearest human settlement is that way." With a stretch of one wing, he pointed to the southwest. "Flying, you can reach it long before the sun sets, but since you're walking through these woods and hills, it'll take you…I don't know. You won't get there today."

"Um, do you also know where we can find some food?" Blaze asked with a hand over his stomach, clearly looking hopeful.

"There's lot's of berry bushes and apples also that way," one of the pidgey blurted, earning a wing slap from another.

Blaze bowed his head. "Thank you!"

Leo repeated the same with Rosy.

As they got moving, Blaze grasping Lucy's hand to move her along as she had been staring open-mouthed at all the birds, they were stopped by a loud squawk.

"WAIT!" In a quick flight from one tree to one more in front of them, the female pidgeotto chose a fairly low branch, as if blocking their path. "That information isn't free and neither is the food, since it's in our territory, just like all of you are! I want a battle! And you, Swampert Leo, look like a fairly tough opponent."

"Just like on our world," Blaze grumbled quietly. "Everyone wants to fight…"

Sharing his partner's annoyance, "Look, we're all really starving…" Not that he was looking for a way out, but he was merely stating the truth. Without food for over a day, he could feel himself slowly weakening with all the heavy hiking they've been doing. Blaze and Rosy were surely in the same boat.

"Hey, you have to battle either me or Blaze!" Rosy shouted, cutting him off.

The female pidgeotto fixed her gaze on the smaller chikorita, cocking her head. "Why?"

"Because Leo is a trainer!"

There was no mistaking the pride in her voice, Leo noted. After only observing one aborted battle in which he did act as trainer and she didn't even participate, he was surprised she was expressing such.

The next squawk from the pidgeotto indicated much greater surprise. Her stare hardening quickly, "Ridiculous! There's no such thing as a Pokémon being a trainer! But I'll still battle _you_ honey as a warm-up!"

It was Rosy's turn to let a non-verbal sound escape in the form of an "eek!" Grass-types like her were at extreme disadvantage to flying types, and given a pidgeotto was a second evolution form and Rosy was only at her first, she stood little chance of winning such a fight, let alone not coming out badly hurt…or even dead, if that's what the pidgeotto wanted.

"I'll do it," Blaze said with lowered voice of solid determination. Releasing his grip on Lucy's hand, he stepped forward in the stream, directly in front of the pidgeotto.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked, staring around wide-eyed at everything.

It was clear to Leo she was picking up on the sudden tension, visibly cringing as she retreated to stand right in front of him.

"That human child is stupid if she can't figure out we're about to battle," the bird Pokémon replied with a severe tone of disapproval. "But I said, I want to battle _you_, Swampert. It'll be a new experience for me. I've fought chimchars and monfernos already. They were nothing special."

Blaze growled, whipping his tail at the implied insult.

"They told us where food and the nearest town is," Leo explained quickly to the girl. "But we have to battle to pay for the information."

"Huh?" Lucy said, looking up with fear.

"Huh?" the pidgeottos and several of the pidgeys repeated, in an entirely different tone amid a ruffle of many feathers and wings. "Hey, you can talk _human?_" the male pidgeotto exclaimed.

"Yes," Leo continued in human speech, making sure they heard correctly. Although he wondered if such a thing could get them out of this, he was feeling more inclined to battle anyway after the insult to his partner. Besides, the female pidgeotto was obviously begging to be thrashed.

"Very special, _aren't we?_" the female commented with a sneer as best her beak could convey. Then: "Enough talk…!"

Without even finishing the last syllable, she was diving off the branch and screaming straight at him! Before he could comprehend the battle was starting just like that, she was already in his face and only a quick move of his arm shielded Lucy from taking some of the full head-on impact from the bird. Or at least he thought. His next immediate view being of the river bottom, he wasn't entirely sure if he had protected her from the quick attack or not.

There was some cheering, all pidgey, as well as a clearly high-pitched human scream. That made him react slightly faster than he would have normally. Raising his head out of the water despite feeling like he'd had just been hit with a brick (which he kind of was), he immediately spotted the pidgeotto coming back around for another pass from upstream.

"_Get her_, Leo!" Blaze growled, a sentiment echoed by Rosy.

Sparing a quick glance to the side, he spotted his partner having Lucy wrapped protectively behind his red-haired arms on the bank as he squatted. Rosy was using her vines also in an attempt to calm the now crying child by rubbing her bare legs, but the grimace on her light-green chikorita face belied anger at what just happened.

Funny how they had all gotten so protective of the child in so short a time…

The squawk of an impeding attack forced his attention back to the pidgeotto. Less than a second away, she spread her wings and moved her sharp talons forward in a claw-attack configuration.

His mouth already had the water ready and the water-pulse succeeded in breaking her attack run.

"Way to go!" Blaze shouted as the bird struggled to maintain flight while careening backward from the impact of the thin, high-speed wall of water, her wing feathers thoroughly soaked. With blatant determination, she shook the water off her large body and flew back up without hitting the river to start maintaining a distance putting her out of range of most any attack.

Buying time to dry her feathers probably. Another probability: unless he could hit her with a lot of water attacks, he wasn't going to knock her out. At least there was plenty of water around to refill himself if he needed to. Speaking of which, since she was recovering, there was no reason he couldn't too. Keeping an eye on her as best he could, he lowered himself for quick drink…something she apparently thought it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

A couple weeks ago, Chris had on his television an old movie with prop-driven fighter planes in it. In one scene, the planes were doing what was called dive-bombing, with a siren-like sound as they dove at high speed toward the ground. Except for wings of feathers and the face, the pidgeotto looked just like that, complete with the scream.

Not quite as fast as a quick-attack, it was still plenty fast and from however-high to the ground was within a few adrenaline-fueled heartbeats. Although he could hit her with another water-pulse, at her increasing speed she would probably blast right through it! So…he needed to time it just right. Leap too soon, and she'd correct. Too late, and it'd be as good as not leaping at all.

One heart beat, two beats, three… Adrenaline also powered his legs and arms as he used all four in evasion. He thought initially she missed him as he felt the cool blast of wind on his wet skin that marked her passage. Then he also registered the slap of feathers on his spiky gills…right before a searing pain across his shoulder and upper arm. After the fact, he realized she'd put on the brakes just an instant before he leapt; with rapidly reducing speed and the partial turn it allowed, she had managed to graze him!

"How's _that?_" the female cried in quickly returning to high above.

To their credit, her "audience" was mostly oooing instead of out-right cheering. He didn't spare them any glance to see if that meant anything. It was true Pokémon battles sometimes resulted in spilling of blood, though that wasn't the norm.

So his water-pulse appeared to had done little other than piss her off… That wasn't good. Clearly she was one tough pidgeotto. What was also becoming crystal-clear was he was going to have to land a fist or two on her. At the speeds she was going, that wasn't going to be easy. He got her with a water-pulse once, but she was only doing a simple-straight on attack. In her last attack, she demonstrated she learned that wasn't going to work.

Of course, all this quick thinking wasn't quick enough at the speed a pidgeotto flies. With Blaze shouting a "watch out", he saw her already beginning another run from overhead, and this time it looked like she was starting to turn in cork-screw fashion with wings partly tucked…

The audience grew deathly quiet, as if anticipating…

…which had to mean something bad was his way coming.

_Think faster!_ he chided himself. If he couldn't dodge…he…needed to brace….take cover… The stream, how deep? Scanning over the lazily-flowing water, there looked to be a deeper spot… Without finishing gauging the distance, he moved in leaps through the water to the spot, finishing the one-second plan as he purposely leapt high up to provide a tempting target…

As he hoped, she didn't give up the dive as his arc brought him down into the water with a large splash, feeling her claws and beak tear into his back and rear fin. But now that she was in water, there was no quick escape for her! Twisting in the just-deep-enough water, he reached and closed his fist on something…a wing. The rest of her proved difficult to grab, flailing as she was. Even in water, her talons were formidable!

So was his fist, as he resolved to make it with one hit after another, punching through the water, connecting several against the bird's body while maintaining a death-grip on her wing.

A sharp beak into this forearm weakened his grip though and as quick as that, she swished away to shallower water. He followed but couldn't reach the rock that was ridiculously close by, where she found purchase to launch desperately back into the air…slowly.

At least she was more thoroughly soaked than after his water-pulse…and obviously tired.

"Leo, are you OK?" Blaze shouted. "You're cut and bleeding all over!"

Then again he didn't feel in the best of shape either, almost afraid to see how he looked, if he had the time to actually do so. "I'll live." The water downstream did have a slight red tinge…

Above, the pidgeotto was flapping furiously, spraying water in every direction. She coasted for a moment as if resting, before nosing down as…

His eyes widened; her wings were starting to glow!

A pidgeotto had nearly three times the mass of an aipom, meaning they had roughly three times the energy to draw on for energy-type attacks. Still, as tired as she _had_ to be…

So one way or another, this attack was intended to be a battle-ender! Countering with his own focus punch might work, but as tired from hiking, the battle, and lack of food as he was, it'd likely be the last thing he did for a while…and they still had a ways to travel. He couldn't afford to be out of commission for any length of time!

Losing altitude, the pidgeotto was swooping down in a shallower angle of attack than before, keeping her speed in check as her wings picked up more glow.

The audience of other birds started making a racket…

A slower speed meant she was going to be able to adjust to anything he did; there would be no missing this time! Desperately, he stepped to the side to get out of the deeper water as it seemed he had no choice but to use his own energy attack. The consequences of being hit by her without a counter… Just what would the pidgeys and pidgeotto do to them if he lost? Was Blaze next?

Now over half–way to him, her wings were glowing brilliantly in contrast to her steal-cold eyes…

A step forward, a step back, it made no difference where he made his stand, just so he didn't trip over the rocks, like the bigger one his toes were hitting. Instinctively, he gave it a quick glance to make sure he could avoid the flat, wide plate-shaped thing…

…?

A heart-stopping piercing scream erupted from the pidgeotto as she continued her run, her wings getting brighter still as more and more energy was funneled into them…

Heart pounding, he lowered himself as if to leapt out of the way, putting his hands into position….and when her strike became an unavoidable certainly, used all his adrenaline-fueled strength to lift the three-foot wide piece of slate in front of him as fast he could!

Its lightness surprised him and in the same instant the pidgeotto impacted it head-on, feared it wasn't thick enough. Indeed, it cracked and he briefly had the sensation of being blown backward. Releasing the shattering rock, he used an arm to keep himself from falling on his rear fin as parts of the rock blasted into him, but something else didn't…

Picking himself up out of the water a moment later, somewhat amazed he was still breathing, he saw both Blaze and Rosy nearly leaping.

"Ha ha, way to go, Leo!" Blaze yelled.

"That'll teach her!" Rosy exclaimed cheerfully, wearing the broadest smile he'd ever seen on a chikorita.

Lucy was…still wide-eyed. At least she wasn't crying anymore.

Following their eyes, he noticed he wasn't alone in the water. At first the female pidgeotto seemed knocked out as she went floating upside-down near the bank with nary a leg twitching, but she soon stirred and slowly, sluggishly, righted and hauled herself onto the narrow river bank. Teetering, she gingerly stepped herself around on the rocky bank to face him, eyes dazed and yet determined.

He felt both relieved and amazed. Relieved she didn't seem too badly injured (as in not dead) and amazed that she was still conscious. This was one _tough_ pidgeotto!

A moment passed and she didn't pass out. Instead…the dazed look faded, replaced by ever more determination in her narrowing eyes.

Great - she getting ready to go again! Should he just charge and try to get her first or wait for another attack? Well, at ten yards away, she would probably take off before he could reach her. He was also really feeling the effect of lack of food; the usual depth of strength he had for fighting just wasn't there; his legs were wobbly and he was really winded.

The pidgeotto opened her beak; instead of words, an ear-piercing squawk came out as she ruffled her feathers, tilting her head at him. Then…her entire body began glowing; slowly at first, then over the next several moments, growing into a brilliant, yet soft white glow.

"What's…it's doing?" Lucy cried, cringing behind Blaze's arms.

"She's evolving!" one of the pidgey declared.

"Finally!" another shouted.

Returning to the others, Leo explained to the human child what was happening and to just watch the massive release of built-up energy. Contrary to many humans' expectations he'd gathered, Pokémon evolution was _not_ instantaneous. It was fast to be sure, but did take a couple or three minutes, sometimes longer. It simply took time for an entire body to grow massively and molecules rearrange themselves while keeping said creature alive. Even as a Pokémon he didn't really understand the process (and he'd been asked), and still found the entire thing fascinating, especially since he'd been through it twice himself along with Blaze.

Squinting to peer through the light, he thought he could see her wings growing outward and body size increasing as new molecules formed from the energy. That one aspect he didn't quite grasp, but as his human counterpart explained recently, matter was really just energy.

It turned out to be one of the longer evolutions he'd ever seen (the number of which he could count on one of his three-fingered hands), but the glow around the former pidgeotto eventually faded, leaving a much larger pidgeot in its wake.

She took a step toward him, steel-like gaze still fixed on him…

Beside him, Rosy stepped back at the same time. She was shaking while around them the pidgey were flapping their wings, beating them against each other and cheering in one loud and growing ruckus.

Blaze tapped his arm. In a low voice: "Leo, maybe we should try and get out of here."

The pidgeot took another step forward…then closing her eyes, abruptly collapsed.

Gasps came from the trees above as Blaze froze. "Huh?"

Leo froze with him as pidgey and the remaining pidgeotto fell silent. "The battle and then evolving was too much," one of them whispered.

"You won," Blaze eventually said. Louder and a moment later: "You won!"

The male pidgeotto squawked, jumping from its tree to land beside the pidgeot. After poking his beak around her a couple times, he swung around to face them. "She got what she wanted; she wanted to evolve. You can go." With an outstretched wing, he again pointed down the river. "If you stay near this river until it bends, you'll also find food. Remember to kept going straight, though."

Lucy looked questionably at everyone.

"We can leave now," Leo told her and started leading the way, albeit slowly. He was beyond tired. Which he also must have looked, with Blaze grabbing his arm once they were across the river. "Leo, maybe you should rest. You look ready to fall over."

Which wasn't far from the truth. "We should find food first." Rest would only do so much. He needed…they _all_ needed food. He tried to get going again, but Blaze didn't let go as he started pointing at the river.

"If those humans are following us, they must be using scent. If we walk in the water for a while, they won't be able to follow."

His partner's suggestion made perfect sense and for the next while they walked in the small river near the far bank. Trudging slowly, he did start to recover some strength, but his stomach was complaining the whole time. From the sound of it, so was everyone else's…and Lucy began to whine not just about that, but also about having to walk in the water. Blaze ended up carrying her for a while, but eventually she wanted to be carried by "her" swampert.

He swore the seven-year-old human hadn't weighed as much before, but now she might as well had been a large boulder on his back. That wasn't what forced him to quickly give her back to Blaze though; it was all the cuts and other wounds that covered his back thanks to the pidgeotto. A child squirming on top of them made them hurt like hell!

"We have to make you better," Lucy pointed out after he explained why he couldn't carry her.

Blaze grimaced for the hundred time in looking him over. "I wish we had our medicine with us still."

"We need berries," Rosy said matter-of-factly. "Sitrus berries would be best, but others would be useful too."

"We're fresh out," Leo replied. Unless the right types were where they were going, he was going to have to heal strictly 'the old-fashioned way'. To Lucy: "I'll feel better when we find those berries the pidgeys told us about," he said in trying to sound reassuring.

She smiled, hope beaming on her face. "Will there be blueberries? They're my favorite!"

Some berries were blue or bluish, but he never heard of any actually called 'blueberries'. "Don't know. We'll have to get there and find out."

He'd hoped the food wasn't far. As it turned out, when they started walking on the bank again with the sun getting low on the horizon, there still was no sign of food anywhere. He was at least grateful there weren't any more Pokémon 'gangs' waiting to battle them, but he was growing beyond tired. The river bank was narrow in the woods, and the constant twisting and winding through trees and undergrowth that frequently went right up to the water's edge, if not actually in it, was exhausting. Even Lucy wasn't able to walk anymore. Blaze had set her down as soon as they got out of the river, but eventually had to start carrying her again; the poor kid simply didn't have the strength left to keep walking. Again on his back, she looked even cuter with his partner's long yellow and red mane nearly wrapped around her own blonde hair, wearing a curious smile as she faced him, although her eyes were closed, fast asleep.

Dreaming about having him as her 'pet', no doubt. At some point he was going to have to explain to her he used to be human and just couldn't be anyone's pet. He would never handle it mentally. He doubted Blaze could either.

"There aren't as many trees up ahead," Rosy announced after yet more exhausting hiking.

The bank rose up in front of them as the river had at some point in its history cut a deep channel apparently right through a hill. But as the chikorita said, from down below the top seemed to have a lot fewer trees, judging by the brightness up there. It also looked like a hell of a climb!

"Isn't there any flatter way?" he found himself mumbling, despite his growing desire to be out of the woods and it's flying and biting bugs. Unfortunately he saw as well as everyone else there wasn't.

A fatigued-looking Blaze shook his head as Rosy started leading the way up. The infernape was breathing as hard as anyone, his tail hardly moving as he let it drag across the ground and occasional logs. Having carried Lucy for so long, he felt sorry for his partner, but there was just no way he could help; he was already sure he was going to pass out long before they got even half-way up.

Thankfully he didn't, though he tripped right before they made it into the clearing and could only fall forward onto his stomach from sheer exhaustion. Panting and his skin dripping with sweat, he couldn't move. Truly, he _couldn't_ move; he was thoroughly, totally, utterly, without question…spent! If a herd of tauroses came stampeding straight at him in single file, he'd simply get trampled because he wouldn't be able to move the five feet to get out of their way.

"Swampert! What's wrong!"

Obviously Lucy had woken up, since she was now standing in front of him.

"Come on, Mr. Swampert! There's food just over there!" Grabbing his one hand with her much smaller one, she started tugging to get him up.

"There is!" Rosy added excitedly.

Joining Rosy and Lucy in front of him, Blaze stared down, unsteady on his feet. "I'll…bring you some," he said, hardly able to get any words out between labored breaths.

Even getting enough air to talk proved difficult all of the sudden, managing only a "thanks." Perhaps…he was going to pass out after all.

Lucy gave up tugging as Blaze tugged on her in turn. Something about the best way to help was picking fruit and berries, he told her. Of course the girl didn't understand him, but seemed to let his partner drag her away anyway.

Ahead, there was what looked like numerous bushes in the clearing he was just lying on the edge of, but his eyelids were closing fast. He'd be out in a few minutes, he could feel it…

This was humiliating! He hated being like this. It was also a vulnerability he knew he didn't have as a human. There were only a few times on the Poké world where he'd gotten knocked out in battles; for those times, Blaze had always been able to 'save the day'. Even so, he simply hated feeling so helpless; it was a definite blow to the pride, especially since he always thought (hoped) his human qualities gave him an edge, maybe not always consciously though.

Now he was being laid low by the simplest of Pokémon vulnerabilities: low energy. Obviously, having hiked what, ten, fifteen (twenty?) miles through forest and mostly difficult terrain, with a tough battle against a pidgeotto on the verge of evolving in which he got tore up, all while being over a day and a half since he last ate, was too much.

In fact, his stomach was beyond growling. It just hurt…a constant, dull ache that never stopped screaming for food.

Hard to believe he'd several pounds to spare after returning from Cape Kippel. Being stuck there for a couple weeks while numerous government agents 'interviewed' his human self, Sally and Chris (and kept all Pokémon under observation) about the disaster on Fore-Nine island, meant there was a lot of days of doing nothing much but eating. Certainly that fat and more was gone by now. Not that he thought he had all that much to begin with, despite trying to gorge on 'less-healthy' human food whenever he could.

Which reminded him of something else, now that he was thinking about it: Pokémon food just didn't taste all that great, no matter how it was advertised. And yet Chris frequently clamped down, insisting he ate 'properly', just like virtually everyone else they ran into (like nurses and fellow trainers who were friends with Chris); they all universally (it seemed) refused to give him anything but 'Pokémon' food. The result was it made him feel undignified.

The fact he used to be human just didn't seem to count for as much as he hoped. He still had a sense of human dignity and as such wanted to have that respected. Every memory he recovered from his human past only added to that sense. Yet his body remained that of a Pokémon…

He mentally sighed. Maybe he had yet to fully accept that fact. Maybe that was the problem; after over three years he was still trying to behave in some part as human, whether consciously or not.

Well, his mind _was_ human…just most the memories weren't there.

Although he'd spent three years as a Pokémon, with which he had no memory issues.

So…he was ninety-nine point nine percent Pokémon then. Regardless, he still wasn't about to be someone's pet.

Not even in exchange for some food?

A cheeseburger would be really nice. A dozen of them, in fact. And at first, he thought somehow he was getting his wish via a hallucination, but the taste that was in his mouth was suspiciously real, and actually tasted like…

"Leo, wake up and chew the berry. It's an oran!"

His eyes opened to reveal Blaze's face, who was working his hands in prying open his mouth while Rosy was stuffing something in. Like a feraligatr on a feeding frenzy, he clamped down on the sweet, juicy fruit and chewed, Rosy hurriedly retracting her vines. He couldn't remember the last time any berry tasted so good!

After swallowing and waiting for the mild energy-restorative effect to hit, he noticed Blaze's and Rosy's faces were already smeared with light blue oran juice. Behind them, Lucy was busy tearing into one.

"You 'goin to 'e all righ!" the child proclaimed happily with a full mouth. "I'll 'ake 'are of ooo!" Her face was beaming again.


	3. Chapter 3: Protecting

_**Author's note:**__ Thanks _WereDragon _and_ Siran 774 _for the reviews! There were some questions raised that I'll answer at the end. _

_This is the final chapter of this little "short" story. Doesn't mean there won't be more stories, just depends. :) Comments and reviews are still welcomed!_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Protecting**

After gorging on oran berries, Leo felt a lot better in more ways than one. He felt better yet after Rosy broke open a sitrus berry and started wiping the juice over the numerous lacerations he had on his back and arms. Suddenly he didn't feel any pain. And after a few minutes of laying on his stomach, he was feeling as good as since before they were captured, which was to say, energetic. So were Blaze, Rosy and Lucy, judging by how they were having a bit of fun in running after each other in the coolness of evening. Getting dark, the hilltop wasn't a bad place to bed down either.

Not to be the odd one out, he took to chasing Rosy himself, partly to find out just how fast she was. Trainers needed to know those sorts of things about their Pokémon. Just when he whipped around a bush and was about to tackle her, someone else tackled him. Or tried to.

With a high-pitched squeal, Lucy slid off his side to grab his leg instead, refusing to let go even as he took several more steps to try and get Rosy. It quickly became hopeless; he certainly could of kept going, but didn't want to risk hurting the child.

The chikorita thanked the girl for the save, waving her vines. Her victory was short-lived as Blaze yipped and jumped from around another bush and nearly got her but for a quick dodge on her part. The new chase was on…

Lucy grinned in response without knowing what she was really told. Or maybe she did guess…

"Alright you," he said in picking her up by her shoulders and causing her to finally let go of his leg.

Giggling, "You're fun!"

"So are you." As well as a problem. Surely her parents were greatly worried by this time. Which brought up a greatly disturbing thought: what if those humans thought he and Blaze deliberately took her? Well, they did sort of, but only so as not to leave her lost in the forest. They had nothing to do with her finding her way into the back of the truck just as they were breaking out of the warehouse.

As it was, the child started bringing it up by asking when they were going home.

Setting her down, "We're going to drop you off at the first house we find so you can call your father and he can pick you up."

Her face instantly lost its cheerfulness. "But…you'll come with me, won't you?"

"I can't."

"You're supposed to be my Pokémon!"

Although she didn't scream it, she was moving in that direction. For several seconds, he felt torn between simply telling her, and finding some way to stall telling her the truth and about what was going to happen sooner or later. Fortunately Rosy and Blaze came running back, providing him the needed interruption. To everyone: "We should probably make some kind of beds for the night."

Gathering grass in the deepening twilight turned out to be more hassle than expected; although it was around all the berry bushes and occasional fruit trees on the hilltop (he strongly suspected this was the site of a former farm in the distant past), it was of the tall and sparse variety. They had to gather over a wide area before there was enough for two large beds and two smaller ones. Of course they gathered a few more berries while they were at it.

Finally in the last rays of twilight and the very dim glow from a slivered moon, he laid down first in the growing coolness of night on the insistence of both his partner and Rosy. Together the two of them started applying another round of sitrus berry juice over his wounds, even going as far as rubbing it in over most of his back, arms and rear fin, which had taken the brunt of the attacks from the pidgeotto.

Well OK, all those cuts (some of them deep!) had been hurting again.

Feeling the hands and vines on his skin didn't feel too bad though, almost like a soft, gentle massage, especially when they moved to his neck and shoulders. It was at times like this he was really glad his partner had human-type hands. He started drifting off amid the growing nighttime sounds around them of crickets, kricketots and various frogs, before almost moaning when Blaze hit one particularly sore muscle.

Humorously, Lucy tried helping at first too, but ended up getting sitrus juice all over herself and her now well-torn and dirty dress. He finally asked her just to watch and she obeyed 'her swampert'. It both annoyed and struck him as cute.

He ended up watching her with some concern as Blaze and Rosy were finishing up, though. Sitting on her own grass bed, she wrapped her arms around her knees and started to visibly shiver as the last glow of twilight was fading.

Clearly they had to do something about that.

Blaze could make a fire easily enough if they prepared a spot so it didn't get out of hand, and the smoke might also help kept the damned mosquitoes away that were gathering. (As if making the argument, he slapped one that had found the green pad of his one forearm.) But a fire could also be a beacon to anyone who might be looking for them.

Fortunately they had chosen a protected spot, with bushes surrounding them on three sides. Maybe, if they kept the fire low…

"Leo, Lucy looks cold," Blaze suddenly pointed out as he finally finished on his back and apparently had turned around.

"She does," Rosy confirmed. "She's been shivering for a little while.

"I think we need to make a small fire for her," Leo told them.

Rosy gulped before answering, "A…f…fire?"

Lucy looked between them as they spoke. Then with little fanfare, she crawled the few feet to him and tried to cuddle next to him behind his one arm.

"So you think we should?" Blaze asked. We might be spotted."

"We'll have to keep it low," Leo answered, then with a sigh, got up to prepare the spot.

"I'm freezing!" Lucy protested, grabbing his arm.

"I know," Leo told her. "We're going to make a small fire for you."

"You can?"

In gesturing to his partner, the answer should have been obvious. Well, maybe for a small child it wasn't. "Blaze is a fire type; he can do a flamethrower. He can start fires."

Her eyes widened. "Oh…"

Within in minutes, Blaze lighted the small pile of gathered sticks and branches within the small stone circle. Lucy huddled close to it, looking not so cold anymore.

"Have to admit, this does feel better," Blaze remarked from the other side of the fire.

Leo agreed; even though he and Blaze (and Rosy) were used to being outside most of the time in all kinds of weather, he still welcomed the warmth provided by the low flames. He worried about Rosy a little, though; she had retreated to the edge of their sleeping area, nearly outside the light circle.

"I'm…glad Lucy is feeling better," the grass-type said in response to his stare, relocating her bed by using her vines to carefully pull parts of it further away.

Of course grass types didn't like fire, just as much as fire types didn't like water. "Sorry Rosy, but Lucy…"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," the chikorita smiled, sounding anything but. "Lucy needs the heat."

Her vines weren't long enough to reach the child, otherwise he felt sure she would have stroked her reassuringly. Yep, they were all looking after her. With another weary sigh, he laid back down, only for Lucy to quickly turn around and move the couple of feet to his head.

"I'm sleeping with you," she announced flatly, as if there was nothing to be done about it.

Cocking his head, "Seems you can't get rid of her," Blaze observed.

"Guess not." He surrendered, allowing her to cuddle between his arms and under his chin. He wasn't the largest Pokémon there was, but he was far larger than human children and she didn't present much of a problem.

Resting her head back on the green pad of his forearm, she stared up at him. "I was told Pokémon can't talk," she said suddenly.

He hoped she would fall fast asleep; apparently that wasn't to be. "All Pokémon can talk," he answered quietly, closing his eyes. "It's just that most can't speak human language."

Silence for a moment. Then: "Dad said tel..tel…uh, tele..pat..tic.."

Opening his eyes again, "Telepathic?"

"Yeah! That they can talk to humans, but it's all through your head or something. You don't do that. I think Dad was wrong."

He smiled, hoping her own answer would satisfy her.

"So why _can_ you talk?" Rosy asked.

Seeing his partner's questioning look: "Feel free."

"You sure?"

Leo nodded.

Blaze faced the chikorita, firelight reflecting almost mysteriously off his white hair-framed red face and eyes: "The reason Leo can speak human, and also read written human, is because Leo used to _be_ human."

Simultaneously, Rosy's mouth fell open, her eyes stopped blinking, and the leaf attached to the top of her head pitched up just slightly. She stayed frozen for several seconds.

"It's true," Leo confirmed. "That's how I knew how to operate the truck. But it's a very long story that would take much of the night to tell."

"At least," Blaze added with a flick of his tail.

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked, straining her head backward over his forearm to look at Rosy almost upside down. "You look funny!"

Leo smiled. "Yeah, she does." To Rosy: "You OK?"

Moving enough to close her mouth just before opening it again: "I…didn't even know that was possible!"  
"Neither did I until it happened." He forgot to switch back to Poké speech…

"_What_ happened?" Lucy asked. "When you started talking like people?"

Throwing a branch on the fire, Blaze made it crackle briefly. "When are you going to tell her?"

"Not until we have to," he replied, suffering a light vine hit from Rosy. It was best that way.

"Hey!" Rosy said in trying to get his attention.

"Why?" Blaze asked, twitching his tail. "Do you think it'll stop those humans from wanting to capture us even more if they find out from her that you can talk?"

No, it wasn't that anymore. It was just… Facing down to the child again: "It's late; just go to sleep. I'll tell you tomorrow." Seeing the curious looks on the other's faces: "Let her think I might be hers for a while yet. If she finds out I was human, it'll shatter her illusion." Watching Blaze, he saw his friend raise his eyebrows.

* * *

_She was looking up at him…almost seriously._

_ "What," he asked gently, stroking her long, red hair as her head lay in his lap. _

_ After sighing, "You know, after things get settled down, we should have a baby."_

_ This surprised him only partially, mostly since he'd been thinking the same thing for the last few weeks on occasion. They were in love, they both knew that, he just hadn't expected Sally to mention children anytime soon. With things getting worse by the day on the planet, he really hadn't thought seriously about having kids until the emergency was over. Too bad it was looking like that wasn't going to be happening. Smiling, "I was thinking the same thing…after the disasters stop."_

_ "Right. Who would want to bring a child into all of this? But if we figure out what those distortion waves are and what's causing them, then…" Without warning, she reached up and wrapping her arms around his neck, engaged him in a long kiss._

_ He wasn't about to complain as he wrapped his own arms around her and closed his eyes, enjoying her and knowing what was coming next._

_ The strange thing was, he felt himself fall off the couch with her and when he opened his eyes, was flat on his stomach with a pair of blue swampert feet in front of him, not Sally's human ones. Before he could make any move to get up, a great weight placed itself on top of him. He suddenly couldn't breathe!_

_ "I love you," Lonny's voice said, her hand in front of him. Balling it up into a fist, it started glowing and in another second, he felt it crashing down on his head full force. He blacked out._

Leo woke, raising his head in a middle of a gasp for air, heart racing. It was still night, the moon sliver was overhead, and the fire was almost out…

Worried he made some noise, he was relieved on finding Blaze, Rosy and Lucy still asleep. After breathing out a long breath, he listened for any sounds around them; save for the occasional hoots of some hoothoot and other insects, there was no sign of anyone creeping closer and getting ready to ambush them. Slowly reaching and putting several branches on the fire, he watched almost hypnotized as they caught from the glowing embers, the fire crackling back to a low life.

A child. Yes, he had wanted that…with Sally. Now of course, that was utterly impossible. Not only was Sally now with his human self (and the two of them were getting along quite well the last he saw them over a month ago), he was also Pokémon. A human and a Pokémon could never have offspring together.

On the other hand, Lonny made it quite known she wanted him, but she…

Well, she was very nice to him while he was in the hospital, but frankly she still scared him. She was bigger, stronger and her personality was dominating. From both her words and actions, she was used to taking what she wanted, whether it was an object or a Pokémon. Well alright, maybe he was making up the later, but that was just how her personality struck him (no doubt tainted to some degree by being initially 'beat up' by her). There was _no_ doubt, however, about which of them would end up the dominate partner in a serious relationship.

He wasn't about to settle for that.

Sally… Hell, he was still attracted to her to be blunt, and not just in love. Just thinking about her, the way her hair flowed, the shape of her checks and lips, how her chest was…

Although Lonny wasn't bad looking either. The curves around her hips, the look about her eyes, puffiness of her green pads, and the minor color tone of her head fins practically screamed female.

Sighing, noisier then he intended, he adjusted himself into a more comfortable position without Lucy directly under his head, so he could lay it down properly for the first time that night. Oh it felt good to straighten out his neck!

The girl stirred and without a word, grasped one of his spiky gills in her hand. She gave a quiet, deep sigh but didn't wake up.

A child…

There had to be other (female) swamperts around somewhere, if the need ever became great.

Assuming it did, how good of a father would he be? He was never great with kids…or, at least as best as he could remember of the times when he was human. But even around very young Pokémon he had never been totally comfortable, so he felt it to be true, despite having basically been through two childhoods himself, once as a human and again as a Pokémon. His personality had been one of the only things to survive intact through his transformation.

Alright, so this child was growing on him. He did kind of feel like her protector…maybe even her parent. Sooner or later she was going to want her father, though; he was almost surprised she wasn't crying her eyes out about it already. Maybe her parents left her for long periods of time or something? (Was that it, she just really wanted a playmate and she just happened to want it to be a swampert?)

Just as he was starting to think more seriously about what it would be like to have a child, it suddenly occurred to him there was a whole other aspect to it, one that hadn't ever occurred to him before: how would Blaze react if he suddenly took off with a female and made an egg?

Alright, that worried him. Blaze was very close to him; by taking on the duties of a father, he would have to, at the very least, split his time between his kids and Blaze. He would in essence be abandoning Blaze partly.

Would his dearest friend mind?

Blaze had lived on his own for many months between the time he disappeared and when Dialga brought him back, so he knew his infernape friend was resilient, a survivor. Maybe he would even like having kids around to take on missions (assuming they ever made it back their world). Having a female and kids around might just mean a bigger family, one that Blaze would always be part of. Certainly, any female who would not accept his friend would be rejecting both of them. It was as simple as that!

Maybe…he might get the urge to find a mate himself…

Lonny…she had warmed up to Blaze while they were in the hospital and actually admitted to liking him.

No! Not her!

She said she wouldn't mind at all if his partner was around while they raised a family…

Taking a deep breath, he resolved to get back to sleep. When his eyes next opened, it was light.

Thank God.

Rosy was busy downing several berries, Lucy mimicking her with a certain silliness. "So, you're awake finally," the chikorita said with a smile. "How's your back?"

Raising his head up, he felt stiff again. Stretching his neck by moving it side to side slowly, "Better, thanks. Where's Blaze?"

"To take a bath, he said."

That would of meant he went back down the hill. Well, such a feat couldn't be nearly as bad since they were all rested as compared to yesterday evening.

As Lucy got up from beside him, he grabbed a oran berry from the small pile near Rosy, thinking a bath for himself wasn't a bad idea, considering all the semi-sticky juice his back was smeared with. In fact, sniffing…

No, it wasn't a good idea, it was an excellent idea. Since his last shower at Chris's place, he'd been captured, hiked God-knows how far, battled a strong pidgeotto on the verge of evolving, and hiked some more through a seemingly endless forest. Apparently, he'd been too tired last night to notice (or care) how he smelled. How Lucy acted like she didn't notice was beyond him.

Oh, that was right, human noses weren't as sensitive.

But Rosy…poor thing. That was an advantage chikorita's had over most other Pokémon; when they sweated, they actually smelled good. Something to do with being a grass type, and being 'flowery' to boot.

Lucky her.

Walking past, he glanced back at her and the human child, "I'm going to wash too." He said it in human, so Lucy would understand.

Perhaps that was a mistake because she jumped up and proclaimed to need a bath too as she started following.

Maybe she did. Humans weren't exactly odor-free themselves.

Blaze looked about to leave the shallow river by the time they hustled down, and a bit surprised to see Lucy.

"We need baths too!" she said with a giggle.

And this was the same kid who had been refusing to relieve herself for the lack of a bathroom. Well she was certainly getting used to nature…

Having already finished, Blaze helped her get undressed and into the river before cupping water with his hands and pouring it over her where she sat.

Which he was thankful for. In front of his partner (or most other Pokémon for that matter) he wasn't bothered bathing. In front of a female human, despite being a child, he was suddenly self-conscious and naturally, there were no deep spots in this stretch of the river. Sure, Pokémon didn't usually wear clothes but in proper bathing, one touches themselves in places they don't normally, and he found himself having to face in the opposite direction. If it wasn't for his face being blue, it would have surely been red!

And he had never bathed so fast.

Lucy took longer and as he stood on the narrow rock covered bank, he debated whether to try and wash her dirty torn-up clothes as they lay before him on the almost non-existent bank. Of course that would mean the kid would have to wear wet clothes until they dried on her.

He decided to leave them alone. With any luck, they'd be out of the woods later that day and she in the arms of her father by evening. On that thought, he suddenly remembered he needed to tell her the truth about him.

As she stood up in the river, she faced him with a happy, carefree smile on her face and her wet, long blonde hair matted all around her head, . In a happy child-like squeal: "Swampert!" She also looked up at Blaze before shaking her head and sending water from her hair flying. Grimacing, the infernape tried shielding himself with his arms as best he could, to little avail.

Lucy pointed at the scowling infernape, laughing.

She was obviously going to miss them and…he had to admit he was going to miss her.

* * *

"That way?" Blaze asked, pointing as they reached a point where the river and the direction the pidgeotto had pointed finally diverged.

It was obvious; the small river turned sharply to the southeast by at least two-thirds of a left-turn, and seemed to go in that direction as far as they could see through the woods. "I guess," Leo replied. "Eventually if we just go in a straight line, we'll have to run into something." A road, power lines, a town, the sea, _something_.

Only an hour since leaving the 'food' hill, they plunged once again into the deeper woods, shooing away insects from their faces and finishing the last of the few berries they could carry with just their hands. He made sure Lucy got enough.

She didn't want to be carried anymore, instead wanting to 'lead' him by holding his blue hand and following Blaze, with a quizzical Rosy bringing up the rear.

"How did you become a Pokémon if you were a human?" the chikorita finally asked after some amount of trudging through the undergrowth.

"Like I said, it's a long…"

Cutting him off, "The short version?"

Blaze turned his head enough that one yellow-blue eye was visible, "I'm not sure there is a short version."

"Every story has a short version!" Rosy protested. "My mother told me that." After another moment of silence: "Come on, _please? _I'm dying to find out!"

Leo sighed, having long ago figured out what a quick explanation would be, even if it wouldn't make sense to most: "The short version is I took an errant attack from a darkrai while traveling through a time vortex. The interaction of the attack's particular characteristics combined with some variable or variables present in the vortex at that exact moment caused my physical form to molecularly change from an adult human into a small mudkip, with the attendant loss of mass, of course." He gave her a few seconds before glancing back.

The small, light green Pokémon seemed to jump over a small vine without effort, but she otherwise looked spaced out.

As he thought.

"Wicked, Leo," Blaze said. "Even I didn't understand that."

He grinned. Of course now that Rosy had gone quiet, Lucy started up with what he was certain was typical six-year-old chatter. Like what was that Pokémon (it wasn't), how far could he throw that small rock (far enough), could she climb one of the trees…

"We can't waste any time if we're going to get you home," he eventually told her as she wanted to drag him off toward some fun-looking vines.

That seemed to trigger something. She went silent for a few seconds, then: "I miss mom and dad."

It was all that was said for some time.

The other reason for not wasting time that he didn't want to tell her was in case they were still being followed. Ordinarily he wouldn't think anyone would bother tracking them over such a long distance and through such terrain for this long. But they had a human child with them. He'd seen enough television and recovered enough memory to know humans generally did everything in their power to recover their children, even if it meant their own deaths (much like many Pokémon parents). He just hoped they would be able to drop her off somewhere before they were found, and whoever they met would not think they had kidnapped her!

Such a situation could become…bad.

Lost in such happy thoughts for a while, it took him a few seconds to notice Blaze had stopped in front of them.

"I wonder how far it is yet," he asked, hands on his hips while turning himself around, looking at the scenery of large and small trees and sporadic dense undergrowth. "I don't even know if we've been going in a straight line."

Realizing he hadn't been paying attention, Leo took his first good look around in a while. Sadly, the forest blocked any long-distance view, making judging where they were by any landmarks impossible.

If only there were some other Pokémon to ask…

Well, like before there _were_ a few Pokémon around here and there, but they were of the bug or insect variety (or the small heard of stantler that took off running) and like yesterday, they either didn't know anything, were too shy to answer, or spoke very poor Poké speech to the point where they couldn't understand them. (On the Poké world, they'd be referred to as wild Pokémon, or more derogatorily, _Poké hicks_ – those who knew little of or had little contact with civilization.)

Such was the case here, as a lone weedle was climbing up the truck or a nearby tree. It refused to even acknowledge them, save with a feeble "I no talk to strangers," and a scared glance to Rosy. It hurriedly finished crawling up to a high branch.

"Are we lost?" Lucy finally asked.

He didn't even know that. But to give the impression the answer was 'no', he pointed in the direction they were going. In Poké speech: "Only one thing to do."

Blaze nodded and took one half-step before the faint sound of…_something_ came through the woods. Or rather, something that wasn't the wind rustling trees, bird and bird Pokémon squawking in the distance, or squirrels making a racket high up in the trees. It lasted for many seconds before fading.

"What was that?" Rosy asked, turning her head like she was still straining to hear.

Unless he was mistaken, it almost sounded like a loud vehicle with a bad muffler. And if that was the case… "There might be a road nearby!"

Blaze let out a whoop and started leading them again.

"Carry me?" Lucy said beside him, not moving. "I like riding you."

Once again, everyone halted and waited while he lowered himself down to let her on his back. "Remember, no kicking. And remember my skin is still very sore back there, so don't move much."

"I know, I know!" she replied in a 'you don't have to tell me that' tone.

Instead of wrapping herself around his upper back though, she positioned herself on his shoulders, a leg on either side of his neck.

So, she was considerate! And he didn't have to lean as far forward with her there as compared to hanging on his back. But it took as least two warnings to not to yank on his head fins. In response, she finally rested her chest over his head. It reminded of Celebi…

Although the sound of occasionally passing vehicles got louder, it still took what seemed at least another half hour before they reached the road. Quite narrow, the two-lane paved right-of-way didn't have much for a shoulder, the forest crowding closely on either side and the sides dropping off sharply.

"Yeah!" Rosy cried, flicking her head leaf from side to side.

Blaze looked about ready to kiss the ground. "Was starting to feel like Mystifying Forest in there," mumbling with obvious relief.

Even Lucy gave a small cheer.

"Um…now what?" Rosy asked, looking up and down the road several times.

"We follow the road…ah, that way," Blaze replied, pointing to the left. "That's closest to the way we were going."

"We going to a town?" Lucy asked. "Good; I'm hungry and thirsty."

_She_ was hungry and thirsty? Leo wondered. He was the one carrying her…

With the road built up a couple feet over the terrain and the shoulder near non-existent, there was little room left to walk on either side. What shoulder there was, was all painful-to-walk-on sharp gravel, so they walked on the blacktop, which at least wasn't too hot yet with the sun still and hour or two away from being overhead. At least the black strip of pavement was mostly straight and had good line-of-sight, but he still worried that…

The sound of the vehicle speeding toward them from behind quickly turned to a blaring horn, with the car swerving into the oncoming lane to get around. A guy's head shot half-way out the window as they passed: "Get your damned Pokémon _off the road_ girl!"

Blaze whipped his tail around as the car sped away, otherwise not bothering to acknowledge them. "Some humans sure are nice, aren't they?"

"Not all humans are nice," Rosy replied with her head bent slightly up and back in a "humph" pose, head leaf twitching.

Walking single file, they hugged the right edge of the road as much as they could, but that same scene repeated itself several times over the following while, with reactions ranging from complete disregard to one slowing waaaayyyy down. From the small blue car, a boy's head poked his head out. "Whoa, mom! That's a _swampert_, an _infernape_ and some baby grass-thing! Hey little girl, let's battle. If I win, I get to have one of them!"

"No!" Lucy screeched. "They're mine!"

"Forget it kid," Leo told him.

The kid's face went into confusion/shock mode as the mother apparently stepped on the gas suddenly, speeding them away.

Still sitting on his shoulders, Lucy snickered as Blaze fell alongside him and Rosy, a grin across his red face.

"Do all humans react like that when to you talk to them?" Rosy asked.

"Usually some variation of that," Leo replied.

By this time, they were coming on a curve, but he could see some kind of sign just coming into view. They hurried closer.

"What does it say?" Blaze asked expectantly.

Leo couldn't help laughing a little and smiling in feeling almost excited. "Pinnacle Valley, eleven miles!"

"Ha ha!" Blaze's smile was as broad as ever.

"We're almost home!" Lucy yelled. "That's where I live."

"Really?" Leo asked.

"Uh huh!"

Rosy was looking back and forth between the sign and him. Quietly: "You can really read human, too?"

Blaze quickly became quiet in facing Lucy, and Leo knew instantly what he partner was thinking: it was time to tell Lucy.

After taking a breath, "Say, Lucy, there's…" He stopped in mid-sentence on noticing a vehicle which had been coming toward them, but had slowed down nearly to a stop, now basically sitting only a short distance away. Feeling a tap on his leg, he found Rosy pointing with her other vine in the opposite direction.

"There's another human machine there that stopped."

Turning around, there indeed was another vehicle, a truck, also not far away.

"What are they doing," Blaze asked, eyes narrowed and voice weary.

Without warning, both vehicles suddenly accelerated with multiple red beams soon shooting out from them in all directions. All at once, there were at least a dozen Pokémon, all running hard toward them!

"Run!" Leo screamed, leaping off the road and crashing into the woods, hanging onto Lucy while checking to make sure both Blaze and Rosy were right behind him. They were, but the sounds of more snapping twigs and rustling bushes all around told of many more than just the three of them running through the woods.

"Crap!" Blaze shouted.

Leo glanced left where Blaze was looking: through the trees and thinning foliage were a trio of mightyenas. To the right, a typlosion, treeko and linoone were likewise running and weaving hard around (or through) the trees. And both groups were running faster than either he, Blaze or Rosy could. And the group he heard behind them…he was scared to look for fear of tripping!

"Blaze, run as fast as you can!" With heart threatening to pound out of his chest, he tried as hard as he could to keep up with his friend, but infernapes were able to run faster than swamperts, and he also didn't want to let Rosy fall any further behind. In only a couple moments it didn't matter anyway: The right and left groups had run far enough in front that when they suddenly stopped, they were blocking the path right in front of Blaze.

They immediately fired attacks…

Leo followed his partner's lead in diving to the ground, barely keeping a screaming Lucy from tumbling while a flamethrower, razor leaves, and multiple shadow balls all were passing just overhead! When he was able to get his head up again, the situation was hopeless: they were surrounded by a dozen Pokémon. In fact, the _same_ Pokémon he saw the day they were captured, including the rhydon!

Taking a couple steps forward on its large feet, the grey rock-type smacked a bush out of his way in separating himself from the others with a snort. "You can't get away anymore!" he growled furiously. "Especially with that human kid!"

Leo nearly didn't notice Rosy backing up and bumping into his leg, shaking. Instead, he was wondering how to protect Lucy who likewise was cringing between him and Blaze, who was now close by on his right. Would they really attack with her in the middle?

"This…doesn't look good, Leo…" Blaze growled, his face contorted into a stressed grimace. Then in a whisper, "Think we can break out if we attack one side?" his mane puffing slightly.

Considering the speed and range of attacks the whole group surrounding them possessed, he honestly didn't think they had any chance at all. There were at least several Pokémon who could exploit each of their weaknesses; it would take a miracle to escape!

Flexing his claws that passed for hands, the rhydon took another step forward: "You made me look bad; I was supposed to be guarding you!" he raged. "I will _hurt_ you for that!" With another enraged roar, the Pokémon started lowering his massive head in aiming the horns attached to it.

All around, the other Pokémon stood tense, seemingly being content to watch to make sure they didn't get away. Leo had no doubt they'd jump in if it looked like the rhydon didn't get his way with them…

Sounds of others running through the forest caused the rhydon to pause though, with three humans shortly appearing through the undergrowth. They all looked familiar, including Camouflage Man. The rhydon moved his eyes to look behind him before quickly standing back up.

"_Here_ you are Swampert," the man shouted before halting behind the rhydon and giving him a pat, the other two humans mumbling something about 'finally'. Looking anything but happy, "You caused me a lot of trouble, creature!" Then his expression changing to one of genuine concern, "Lucy! Did it hurt you?"

The idea he would hurt a child! Leo was about to shout something back, but Lucy responded first.

"I'm OK! I didn't want my swampert to go, so I followed him!"

Camouflage Man wrinkled his forehead some. "How'd you get in the truck then?"

"I snuck in! Mr. Swampert was sure surprised! And his name's Leo."

Grimacing, "Well, it's alright now. Come on and hurry over here. We'll take care of your swampert and infernape and…that chikorita too, if you want it."

Rosy squeaked.

As Lucy looked up at him, Leo could see the indecision on the child's face. Then quick as lightening, she grabbed his hand.

"Come on, you too Blaze and Rosy!" She started leading them toward the man.

"No, Lucy!" Camouflage Man barked sharply, making her stop dead in her tracks. "Leave them there!"

"But…can't I take them with me?"

The man sighed, looking irritated in detaching a coil of something hanging from his belt. "Lucy, they need to be taught not to try and escape again, otherwise they'll just run away from you."

"No they won't!" Lucy yelled back. Looking up again: "You won't leave me, will you? Promise?" Her eyes held both hope and uncertainty.

Oh hell, how could he tell her in this situation?

More rustling told of yet someone else running toward them, revealing itself as another adult human male a few seconds later. "Lucy!"

The girl's eyes became wide. "Dad!", and she took off running past the rhydon and other humans to embrace her father. "Dad, I followed my swampert so he wouldn't leave me!"

Kneeling down to pick her, "Oh, Lucy…you shouldn't have done that. Mr. Gordon put tiny tracking devices in them when he captured them, so you didn't have to worry…"

"Dad, he can talk!"

"Of course it can dear, all Pokémon talk to each other in their own language, but we can't understand them."

Camouflage Man, apparently named Gordon, seemed to watch the scene with some detachment, all the while tightening and loosing his grip on the black coil he held. "OK, you two should return to the vehicles. We'll bring the swampert and infernape back to you a bit after we make sure they understand not to run away again. It'll make it easier for you."

Leo widened his eyes, realizing what the coil was. He wouldn't!

"What is that human going to do?" Blaze asked with a slight tremble in his voice.

"I…think he's going to whip us!"

Flinching and nearly screeching, "W…what? _Whip?_" He started backing up and lowering himself almost into a cowering stance.

Unfortunately, they had seen enough television to know what that entailed.

"Only wish whoever was driving my truck was also here," Gordon continued. "I'd punish them too."

"I _told_ you it was that infernape," one of the other humans said in speaking for the first time, pointing to Blaze.

"Pokémon can't operate vehicles!" Gordon chided.

"Hold on, what are you going to do?" Lucy's father asked, moving his eyes suspiciously between the bullwhip and Gordon's face.

Shifting attention from his employee, "Look, I've been in this business for a while; I know what needs to be done to make Pokémon docile, or at least sort of behave. If you don't want them to run away, this has to be done."

Leo felt his heart pounding even harder. The human…just couldn't be serious! But Lucy's father looked to melt under the dominate gaze of Camouflage Man, finally giving a meek nod before starting to walk away, still holding Lucy. Gordon finally uncoiled the whip, giving it a quick flip and making it whistle slightly through the air before focusing back on him and Blaze.

Blaze reacted by lurching to the side, to which in response the surrounding Pokémon instantly closed ranks to prevent any escape. He growled, though high-pitched in fear.

"But dad, he can really _talk!_" Lucy insisted, still carrying on and now squirming in her father's arms as her father carried her away.

In desperation, Leo spoke at the top of his lungs: "Yes, I can!"

Everyone froze…except Lucy. "See! He can talk!"

"We don't want to be captured!" Leo continued. "We didn't kidnap your daughter, but we took care of her because she would have been in danger if we left her in the woods. All we did was try and protect her and keep her safe!" At least he could make that much clear.

Lucy's father, already part-way, swung the rest of the way around, eyes wide. Setting his daughter down, he stared open-mouth for a moment. "You…really did that? You protected her?"

"I told you, he and Blaze took care of me and saved me from a bunch of pidgeottos!" Lucy cried. "I like him!"

"But…how can you talk?" her father asked.

"Because…" And Leo took a deep breath, "I used to be human." After a few heartbeats: "That's why I really don't want to be captured. To me it would be like being a slave, and my partner and Rosy feel the same way." Actually he wasn't sure about Rosy, but it was an assumption he was willing to make.

Rosy gave an affirmative nod, as did Blaze. "At least with this human," Rosy added.

"But you're mine, right?" Lucy asked, desperation now in her voice.

Leo sighed. He had tell her no, but he was afraid how everyone else was going to react. He mostly certainly didn't want to get him and Blaze (and Rosy) whipped! Speaking of who, the chikorita was now looking up at him in what almost appeared to be awe.

Gordon's expression however, had since lost it's surprise; he was now grinning. Without facing Lucy's father, "Mr. Torelli, I regret to inform you our deal is now off."

"But…but…you can't do that, we had a deal; I paid you!" Lucy's father stammered.

"No, you were about to when the swampert and infernape escaped. You have not actually transferred the money yet and were waiting until recapture until you did, therefore our deal is now off. I will be taking this swampert for myself. You can still have the infernape and that chikorita if you want them."

"No!" Lucy screamed at the top of her lungs, making Gordon and the other humans grimace. Escaping her father's arms with a kick, she shot over to Gordon and started kicking and hitting him with everything she had, nearly toppling him before being grabbed from behind by one of the other humans. The man struggled with her in forcing her back to her father.

Rubbing his one leg, "Charlie, Jake, escort Mr. Torelli and his daughter back to the car and return them to their vehicle! Now!"

The two men moved without question and Lucy's father started walking back with them, the holstered guns on the men's belts seemingly giving him no other choice, especially with his daughter still firmly in the one man's grip.

"I'm going to kill that human," Blaze said, brow lowered. His mane puffing greatly and before Leo could stop him, he crouched in prep to leap…

…as an electrical bolt and three shadow ball attacks hit, making him convulse in an instant.

Leo grabbed him immediately as he started to fall, Rosy helping to lower him to the ground. The infernape was completely out, and he glared at the raichu and mightyenas in rage. Unfortunately, he couldn't act on his anger. Not surrounded by a dozen other Pokémon!

Ordinarily, Pokémon using energy attacks like shadow balls would seriously drain their energy, putting them at a disadvantage if their attacks didn't do much. In this case, having knocked out Blaze and with so many others to rely on, that concern meant squat!

"I don't care if you can talk or not, Swampert, or even if you think you used to be human, that doesn't earn you the right to embarrass me!" Gordon yelled once everyone else had disappeared well into forest vegetation. "First, I'm going to punish you for escaping. Then I'm going to teach you who's master here. Too bad your infernape friend is out, otherwise I'd teach it too. But he'll still get it later."

Rosy whined, looking up at him with fear. "What do we do?" she cried softly.

Looking around, the Pokémon appeared dispassionate about the whole thing…save for the rhydon. With fixed eyes and a grin, it was watching with interest.

At once, he was worried as Gordon stepped forward, whip tightly in hand. Not for himself, but for Rosy. Her tiny body wouldn't be able to take much; she could die. Although the man didn't indicate he wanted to kill them or even to punish her, he couldn't trust him not to go over the threshold.

After all, a trainer's job was to protect their Pokémon above all else… To Rosy: "Get behind me; I'll protect you." When the chikorita seemed frozen to the spot, he shoved her behind him as the human swung the whip.

A sharp pain unlike he'd ever felt erupted across his upper back as the whip connected with a loud crack. It was like having one's skin split open and fire poured into it! He only _just_ fought a scream.

Rosy didn't, but hers sounded stifled.

The man grinned. "I have a feeling you won't give up easily Swampert," pulling back the long, thick leather instrument of torture before shaking it in his hand for a moment.

"You're a bad human," Leo spat through gritted teeth as the horrendous sting was barely fading. "Forcing Pokémon to do things against their will is evil!"

"Tell me, _how_ can you talk?" He was playing with the whip, as if making it known the wrong answer would earn an extra punishment.

"I told you! I used to be human."

The human sneered and without warning, swung again.

Leo nearly collapsed to the ground in feeling like the breath was ripped forcibly out of him. Of course that was the least of it, and he couldn't fight the groan that escaped his throat. He was certain his skin did split this time! After the pain from like a heated piece of metal faded just a little, he was left gasping for breath. Something wet was trickling down his upper back…

"Ready to tell me the truth?"

Through tearing eyes, he looked away from the human to Rosy, making sure she hadn't been hit. She was cowering behind Blaze's unconscious body, her eyes wet. It was just as well his partner was out; he'd only get enraged and do something to get himself hurt worse then he already was.

Some of the Pokémon around them almost were looking sympathetic. The damned rhydon though was still grinning stupidly. The only saving grace was he wasn't able to do anything other then watch. He hoped.

Shaking his head, "You know, you guys are going to make me a lot of money, but it's obvious I'm going to have to break you first." Gordon started reaching back for another hard swing…

"Bad human goes down!" a male voice screeched as a light brown streak came rocketing out of the trees. Impacting the human's arm in the blink of an eye, it snapped it all the way forward in a clearly painful movement! The man screamed in agony as the whip disappeared from his hand.

Leo stared, stunned like all the other Pokémon before gathering enough wits to look up where the streak he thought had gone to. Sitting up in one of the trees behind him, a large male pidgeotto sat with it's beak firmly clamped around the whip.

Letting it go, "Hello there, Swampert!" it chirped.

And before Leo could respond, a female pidgeot landed next to him, making the branch droop. "I had come here for a rematch, but it seems you could use some help instead!"

He felt nearly too stunned to speak, but managing: "How…"

"We've been following, and now found you from all the noise," she replied, gesturing around them with one of her large wings in a wide circle.

Looking up and around, he felt himself filling with hope, for surrounding them in the trees looked to be the entire flock of pidgeys! Upon being revealed, they all immediately started putting on the most raucous racket and wing flapping he'd ever seen or heard from bird Pokémon!

"They're going to help?" Rosy asked cautiously.

"What is this?" the human yelled while holding his arm, obviously unable to not notice he and his Pokémon were now surrounded themselves. The said Pokémon were shifting their legs nervously in looking up and around in all directions.

"ATTACK!" the female pidgeot screamed with her eyes glaring, launching herself down at one of the mightyenas.

The air and space around immediately erupted into a chaotic maelstrom of ground and bird Pokémon dodging and attacking with all varieties of physical and energy attacks. The pidgeys, pidgeotto and pidgeot swooped and dived almost in blurs; the human's mightyenas, raichu, typlosion, treeko, linoone, charmander, ivysaur, weavile and luxio were doing their best to counter and launch counterattacks, but keeping track of everyone was impossible.

For his part, the human Gordon was trying to shout attack orders while also dealing with his slashed arm by wrapping a bandana around it, blood soaking through.

"Let's attack!" Rosy almost growled, though it sounded almost cute with her voice.

Leo nodded; it was what he was already preparing to. For what that human did to him with the whip, for what his Pokémon did to Blaze, for trying to sell them… Lowering himself onto all fours, he launched himself.

The human was only a couple bounds away and within easy reach… before the rhydon ran from the side to block the path, nearly impacting him if not for a quick move!

"Good job, rhydon!" the human shouted. "Take him!"

Now, why did this seem familiar? Running backward a few steps, Leo put distance between him and the grey beast. The larger and heavier Pokémon in front was a problem, and the hand-to-hand fight with the very tough rhydon on Fore-Nine island only a couple months ago still put fear into him. But like there, retreating here wasn't an option, especially with all the birds busy. Therefore, the best thing to do was what any water-type would do against a rock-type…

Hitting the rhydon square, the water pulse forced a groan from him, but didn't keep him from lowering himself into a charging stance. The second pulse made his front legs collapse from under him. After the third, his entire body went down heavily onto the wet, vegetation-littered ground. A fourth wasn't needed since obviously, this rhydon wasn't as strong as the other one had been, Leo thought thankfully in charging past.

The human screamed satisfyingly as he slammed into him, knocking both of them to the ground, and not allowing any time for the man to do anything, and he raised his closed hand to start pummeling the bastard. He got in one good hit before the human hit back…surprisingly hard!

Reeling from the hit to his chin, he felt enough pain to distract him, allowing the human to squirrel out from under him. But nothing else as he regained his stance and faced-off against the black-haired human.

"Alright swampert, you want to fight, then I'll give you one!" Gordon spat, literally. "I've taken stronger Pokémon with my bare hands! You're going to obey me one way or another!"

If he were still human, there would be a certain middle finger he'd use in reply. Wait…he _still_ had a middle finger…

The human grinned menacingly at the gesture before balling his fists.

Leo returned the expression, his rage not going down any. "I'm going to pay you back for what you've done to us!" On the last word, he leapt forward at the same time the human ran at him.

One thing he learned in fighting from painful experience was to duck the first blow. By dropping his head nearly to the ground, the man's swing only got the tips of his head fins. It hurt some, but he guessed his fist slamming into the human's stomach hurt a lot more. Although if it did, it wasn't enough to stop him from bringing a combined fist down onto his skull. Whatever space was between his chin and the ground disappeared as it impacted into said ground…hard, the shock going right through his broad teeth.

He was too enraged to care, reaching to yank one of the human's feet. As the human landed hard on his back, Leo got up to double the effect by landing on him with all his weight...

…only for the bastard human to just roll out of the way!

The man was up in a flash and he sprang from all fours to the side, narrowly missing the boot heading for his stomach. Just then, some old knowledge clicked and he realized this human had to have some kind of combat training! No matter, as no human could do Pokémon attacks, thinking that while firing off another water pulse and striking the human full-force in the upper body. He went down immediately, though clearly wasn't out.

Frustratingly, the man's ivysaur moved between them before he could move to finish the human off. Worse, the second evolution of bulbasaur was wrapping a vine around his left foot and yanked, forcing him to the ground! The bulb on it's back started glowing…

Grass types were particularly dangerous against water types. He'd taken his share of hits from them and if they didn't feel like getting hit with a large brick, they at least made him feel weak. The only reason he usually made it out of such fights still conscious against the stronger ones was that Blaze was always with him, and being a fire type he could roast grass types alive before they did any real injury. Problem was, Blaze was knocked out somewhere behind him and if the ivysaur was here harassing him, then whichever pidgey or pidgeys who had been attacking it either got knocked out too or were otherwise occupied.

Lowering it's front legs, the light bluish creature was partly aiming it's glowing bulb at him. Naturally it was right in a small patch of sun, just enough to act as a trigger for its stored energy to be released…

Leo hurriedly reached to yank the vine, only instead had to fight its companion as it was entangling his other leg and linking with the first vine! Pulling on it did nothing; it may not have weighed much, but with it's feet dug in, the ivysaur was as good as a boulder!

"You don't hurt my master!" the grass-type cried, its glowing reaching a blinding brilliance.

"He wants to _sell_ me, damn it!" The words appeared to fall on deaf ears as the glowing began taking the form of a beam, heading for him… Being entangled in the creature's vines with his legs now tied together, he couldn't avoid the attack nor could he charge, which meant…he was about to be knocked out.

This would probably be the last time he'll know freedom for a while if the birds didn't win their battle. Certainly, the human was going to take every precaution to make sure neither he nor Blaze ever escaped again. He'll be caged for the rest of his life!

The solar beam came quickly, consuming his vision. Shutting his eyes tightly, he waited for the faintness and then darkness to take him. It didn't come. Instead, he felt a blast of wind just as the brightness abruptly died only a split second after it started. Someone screeched practically in his ear…

Opening his eyes, the solar beam was actually still going with the surrounding forest illuminated by it's brilliant light even in the daylight, but it was being blocked by the outstretched wings of a large pidgeot!

The female was barely standing when the attack fizzled a couple seconds later, but she turned her head around to face him. Huffing, "I will _not_ let…anyone else…knock you out before…_I_ get my _rematch!_"

He had to grin in trying to get up, the ivysaur's vines were still wrapped tightly around his legs. He prepared to give one almighty yank to gain enough slack so he could use his teeth on one of them…

"Let go of him!" the high-pitched voice of a chikorita screamed as Rosy plowed into the ivysaur as it sat, recovering from it's attack.

That seemed to do it, forcing the larger grass type to finally release its vines. Relieved to still be among the conscious, he hurriedly unwrapped his legs as the pidgeot narrowly missed getting grabbed by the human, who was already up and now rushing at them, though was interrupted a split second by one of his mightyenas launching a shadow ball right between them after the retreating bird.

He'd only taken a half second hit from the solar beam at best, but it'd still been enough to cause him some injury, making him feel tired, burned. Despite that, he moved quickly enough to avoid taking a kick.

This human was tough, and another water pulse probably wouldn't do the job. Not that he could use many more anyway without becoming severely dehydrated. There _was_ probably one way to end this quickly, though with how tired he was getting, using the energy could cause him to faint.

Perhaps he didn't have a choice…

Running to the side and then around in an attempt to get behind the human, he let his energy flow into his hand as he balled it up. Then abruptly turning, he rushed at him. With only a instant to react, the man tried dodging by dropping to the ground and starting to roll…

Leo punched his fist as hard as he could, hitting…

Although it was a graze, the human shrieked.

Was it enough? He couldn't tell, at least not for a moment as his legs were suddenly wobbly and he fell forward. But he hadn't passed out, despite a sudden extreme weariness.

"What's the matter?" the human asked somewhere behind him, his voice as if through gritted teeth while breathing heavily. "Getting tired?"

"Sounds like you are," Leo shot back. Of course he was panting too. Still, he started forcing himself up, though his legs felt like cement.

The human didn't look real good either, using the hand on his slashed arm to hold where the focus punch had grazed while using his other to hold his slashed arm. "Yeah, well, I think one good hit will send you down, swampert. But then I'll have to carry you. Instead…" Releasing his arm, he reached for the holster hanging from his belt. "You know what a gun is?"

Oh…_crap._ Despite his better judgment, his mouth instinctively filled at the sight of the perceived threat and he shot the gallon or so of water. Unfortunately it was weak and the human only needed to brace himself a little to withstand it.

"Thank you, that was refreshing," smirking afterward before leveling the gun at him. "A little warm, though. Now, unless you would rather die here, you're coming back to the road…" His sentence was interrupted by vines wrapping around his ankles and pulling them together. "What…"

Rosy suddenly ran from behind him, attempting to bring the him down…only the human weighed a little too much for that!

"Pesky thing!" Gordon shouted, whipping the gun around to point at her…

Leo moved as fast as he could, but his tired muscles weren't responding as fast as he needed! Just as he knew he would be a heartbeat too late, someone else came slamming into the human from the side as the gun went off, the bullet striking the damp ground and sending up flying debris. The red and white haired infernape bit down hard on the human's gun hand as Leo joined Blaze in attacking the human with fists. Rosy leapt in, wrapping her vines around his throat and quickly choking him. Between the three on them, Camouflage Man went unconscious.

Finally.

His heart was pounding hard enough to threaten exploding, and Leo collapsed on top of the human, Blaze joining him in looking only barely conscious himself. Only Rosy still appeared to have any strength left and she jumped behind them apparently to defend against the raichu who was charging them.

She didn't have to bother as the male pidgeotto came slamming into it from the air with outstretched claws, knocking it out.

Save for his and Blaze's hard gasping for air, he noticed it suddenly quiet right after. Around them and amid the torn-up ground and vegetation, most of the pidgeys were laying knocked out on the ground, as were all of the human's Pokémon. In fact, now that he had a chance to look around, the forest was pretty well ripped apart in their little area, like a massive battle had been waged.

Which of course, one had.

The female pidgeot screeched softly as she swooped in to land in front of them, although it was more of a controlled crash as her legs buckled and she slid. Standing up with an almost embarrassed look about her tired black eyes: "You, Swampert…have some nasty enemies! You weren't lying…when you said there were humans…after you." Clearly out of breath, she also bore numerous fresh cuts and signed feathers all over.

Leo moved to face her despite feeling he was going to pass out any moment. "I don't think…I can battle you right now, like you wanted."

"I'll battle for you, Leo!" Rosy proclaimed in running in between them, and she wasn't shivering…

"Rosy, I think we're all done for a while," Blaze pointed out, just putting his head down on the human's leg, closing his eyes and remaining motionless save for his labored breathing.

The female pidgeot seemed to regard Rosy for a moment, before giving a more visible than audible sigh. "Maybe tomorrow, little grass type." Bowing her head, though still towering over the chikorita, she continued panting while letting her wings droop to rest against the ground. "Oh, by the way, we spotted other humans back by that black strip…that I think they call a road. That child who was with you was…being carried by one of them."

Leo perked up at this. "That's her father! The other two are with _this_ human," patting the one they were still laying on. "We have to take them out too, or they might try to…"

"Don't worry about them," the male pidgeotto replied from a branch above, appearing in better shape than any of them. "We already knew by watching what was going on. I sent two of our flock to take care of them before we battled here, and they made it back a while ago. Uh…should I have done that?"

He couldn't believe it! "They're knocked out?"

"Yes. Those other two bad humans didn't escape."

With a slid-ways glance, he found his partner grinning. Then bracing his arms on the ground, forced himself up. Boy did he feel unsteady, but at least he felt like he could remain standing. "Then, I should go to them."

* * *

"It's Mr. Swampert!"

As the pidgeotto said, the two humans who had been with Gordon were on the ground, out cold. Lucy's father was standing next to the truck, reaching too late to grab his daughter.

Leo smiled as the girl ran toward him and gave her a return hug as she wrapped her tiny arms partway around his torso.

"Swampert! Those men didn't want to let me go back! They were mean!"

"It's all right, they're all knocked out. They won't be hurting us now." Still, he cringed as her hand brushed over one of his wounds, thanks to the damned whip. At first, he didn't understand when she started crying.

Blaze only shrugged while Rosy went to check the two humans on the ground.

"I don't want you to ever go away," Lucy said with a strained high-pitched cry. "You're my Pokémon! I love you!"

Oh.

Thankfully her father came over, distracting her for a moment. "I…You really can talk?"

Nodding, "You weren't imagining it."

Still, the man's mouth dropped open, though only momentarily. "I called the police as soon as the pidgeys knocked those two guys out. They should be here soon to arrest these people, I assume."

"Didn't _you_ hire them?" Blaze asked with slight anger, straightening up with his upward gaze suddenly fixed on the six-foot tall human that still stood at least foot over him.

He also should have been angry at the human; he, Blaze and Rosy had every right to be, but he just couldn't anymore. "What about you?" Leo asked.

Pushing his gold-rimed glasses a little further up on his face, "Well…I suppose I'll be answering a few questions. Pokémon capturing for the purpose of selling is…" Looking down at his daughter, he became stone-faced. "…frowned on. Look, Swampert, Infernape, I'm sorry for what happened. I just wanted to make my daughter happy; I didn't think it through very clearly." Then lowering his head: "I'm ashamed."

Lucy seemed to be over her crying as she backed up a step. Grabbing his hand, she started tugging toward the truck. "You come home with us now!"

"I think he needs to go to a Pokémon center, Lucy. They're pretty hurt and tired right now."

The girl looked momentarily disappointed, but quickly brightened again. "Can we go with them?"

Her father's smile was a little weak in reply, "If the police let us. But…Lucy, I need to tell you something though."

Leo sighed on hearing the police sirens in the distance as Lucy's father started telling her why they couldn't take him and Blaze home with them. The little girl soon dropped to the ground in tears.

* * *

"Who _did_ this to you?"

It was the same brown-haired nurse in the Pinnacle Valley Pokécenter who had treated him and Blaze before. Since she already knew he could speak human language (although he'd never talked in front of her, apparently news traveled between the Jade River and Pinnacle Valley Pokécenters), she expected an answer as she treated his wounds, particularly the slashes from the whip that were going to require stitches. "Some man who captures and sells Pokémon." Before she could get further upset: "The police have him now." As well as Lucy and her father…

"Good! Those types deserve to have the key thrown away!"

That was a couple hours ago now. Initially they were going to shuttle all the Pokémon straight to the center, but he started talking and combined with Mr. Torelli's statement, they decided only he, Blaze and Rosy should go, with all of Gordon's Pokémon locked in their Poké balls for the time being and to get treatment a little later, since none had severe injuries.

Blaze didn't need much treatment either and Rosy was basically fine, so the two of them were currently chowing away in the cafeteria on his insistence; there was no reason for them to wait around starving while he was being treated for basically flesh wounds. (Not that they didn't hurt!)

With it falling quiet momentarily, what he wanted to do was sleep and laying on his stomach on the narrow treatment bed, he felt his eyes starting to close…until he saw the needle the nurse was starting to thread in front of him. Damn…it looked long and thick!

Finishing pulling the thread through: "So, where is that young trainer of yours…what's his name, Chris?"

"He stayed home, back in Jade River. He has to work, so he couldn't come with me and Blaze."

The nurse stopped briefly, her eyebrows raising.

"I've decided to become a trainer myself. Rosy's my first…er, capture, I guess. The chikorita."

The needle fell to the floor.

A half-hour later and sporting six new stitches, he finally found food where Blaze and Rosy were camped in front of the center's all-you-can-eat buffet. Despite only being allowed to have Poké food even though the smell of the hot dogs was killing him (he gave the astonished attendant a piece of his mind), he was surprised at how much of it he ate. It was getting dark by the time they left the small cafeteria, heading for the lobby and the front door.

"So now what do we do?" Blaze asked.

Leo shrugged, which reminded him (painfully) of the stitches in his upper back. "Blaze, tell me: how do I look, honestly?" Not that he was vain or anything, but he hadn't a look in a mirror yet and really wanted to know just how back his back and rear fin were.

His partner paused a moment in looking him over from the back. "Like you've been in a fight with several skittys…and lost."

"Thanks, Blaze," replying in a tone of fake non-appreciation.

The infernape grinned, twitching his tail in a manner substituting for a mild laugh. "But, what should we do? Um…should we?"

He knew right away what his friend meant. "Well, since we're here, we probably _should_ visit Leo."

"Aren't _you_ Leo?" Rosy asked from behind as she quickly swung her little legs in keeping up with them.

Somehow she reminded him of a little dog, following her owner. (Did he ever have a dog or dog-like Pokémon when he was human?) But if it wasn't for her, he and Blaze would now likely be leashed, entertaining Lucy and her father. "Long story."

"Not_ again!_"

Blaze was grinning again as he turned slightly to her, "But it _is_ a _long_ story. And you might not believe it anyway."

She sighed noisily, twitching her head leaf before mumbling "If I can believe you were once human, then why…" almost under her breath as they broke out into the lobby.

Leo stopped short. Just rising from one of the benches was Lucy and her father.

"Leo!" Lucy shouted before she came running over.

"I thought they were going to be busy," Blaze commented, his mane puffing.

Picking her up, Leo let her give him a hug around his neck, even though it came close to his stitches. "Well, what are you doing here?" Then more to her father who had followed her over: "I thought you were going to be busy for a while?"

"The police let us come over," the graying man explained, still in his suit. "I'll have to be in court tomorrow, but I'm sure it's going to be far worse for those poachers. Seems hunting in the state forest you guys were in carries a five year minimum sentence, I heard."

"Ha ha!" Blaze exclaimed. "But I still would like to see someone sell _them_ to someone else."

"So do I!" Rosy added with a flick of her vines.

"That's satisfying to hear," Leo replied in human speech.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Mr. Torelli continued. "I mean, if you want, my house isn't far outside this city. I could…um, put all of you up for a while. To make amends."

The offer was slightly temping, but… "We were about to go to a friend's place for the night. Then maybe head back to Jade River." He glanced to Blaze, who nodded.

"_Please_ come with us?" Lucy whispered near his ear.

He hated to hear her plead. He was also fearing that if he didn't break contact with her soon, the eventual parting would only be worse, and become perhaps impossible for her. Maybe for him too…

Blaze leaned close, lightly touching her nose with a purple finger. "We have to leave and go our own way."

She giggled slightly, but of course couldn't understand him.

"We can't," Leo whispered before setting her back down. "We have lives and people who need us to get back to." Not to mention still holding out hope they could return to the Poké world someday.

"No!"

Lowering himself to face her: "Lucy, listen. We would have to go away eventually. But I'm sure we'll see each other again. OK?"

The child's eyes were wet, but she nodded.

Of course, she had already been told how things were, but she obviously was holding out hope. Holding back tears, he brushed the side of her face and stroked the back of her head before she wrapped her arms around him one last time.

"You know, I think I'm going to miss her," Rosy announced as they walked outside, leaving Lucy and her father to talk to the nurse on duty. Apparently her father had made a promise about looking for a mudkip somewhere. No better place to start asking than a Pokécenter, it seemed.

"So am I," Blaze admitted. "I really didn't mind carrying her."

Neither did he, once she stopped kicking him in the sides. But the emptiness he was starting to feel was really more than just missing Lucy. At some point he was going to want a child of his own. But, he had time. Apparently lots of it. After all, he was only a little over three years old as a Pokémon; that gave him literally decades again to find a mate, assuming no premature demise.

Or even just a one-night stand if things got desperate, he thought with what would have been a certain blush if his skin would have allowed it. Certainly there were plenty of other Pokémon that would go for that, considering various comments and conversations he'd been privy to on the Poké world.

"Hey Leo, you alright?" Blaze asked.

With surprise, he found both Blaze and Rosy looking concerned as they stared back. "Yes, fine. Just thinking."

Already being on the sidewalk next to a well-lit park, they stopped abruptly upon a teenager who'd been running toward them now blocking the way.

"Hey, you're an infernape!" he nearly shouted at Blaze, slightly out of breath. "Where's your trainer? I have a makuhita who wants to battle you!"

Leo returned Blaze's mischievous grin. "How are you feeling?'

"A little tired, but I could do it," tightening his fingers into a fist as his mane puffed. "I won't pass up getting some more practice."

"Hey, how about ME?" Rosy shouted up.

Facing the kid: "I'm the trainer here," Leo answered. "I can do a two-on-two."

The kid screamed.


End file.
